From an IMLP Intern: A 2nd Day Field Trip

John (Intern) & Alana (IMLP) at GE's IT ShowcaseAs a new IMLP intern at GE Energy working in Schenectady, NY, I was quite surprised to find I would be going on a field trip my second day at work.

After getting the hang of my Outlook Calendar, I noticed that I would be attending the 2009 IT Showcase at the GE Global Research Center, located nearby in Niskayuna, NY.

GE exposes all of its interns to a variety of opportunities that showcase different aspects of the company, from guided plant tours to this trip to the Global Research Center. The GE GRC is, as they say, where “all the magic happens.”

Imagine stepping foot into the building where some of the world’s greatest inventions were discovered – including LEXAN plastic, laser light, and…the light bulb!

The guest speaker at the showcase was GE's CIO, who discussed the current standing of GE and answered some questions from GE employees in attendance.

A particular question, asked by the IMLP blog contributor and creator, Alana Edmunds, asked an interesting question that stirred up a few conversations after the presentation: “What impact do you think upcoming external social networking technologies will have on GE in the future?”

When asked whether anyone in the room uses Twitter,  Alana, Alvaro (an IMLP alumni), and myself were the only people to raise our hands!

GE presents us with a great opportunity to promote our unique insights, and whenever we can, contribute to the future success of the company.  GE creates a truly unique internship experience by opening its doors to innovative insights, even from a first year intern.

To learn more about what goes on at the GRC, visit the GRC Blog.

Guest Post by John Chilgren, IMLP Intern.

A GE Adventure.

Ever wanted to see what's going on inside of the GE Global Research Center, or take a trip to the top of a wind turbine?

A new blog, GE Adventure,  has been launched that focuses on a "series of field trips through GE," so you can read about a variety of  adventures.

My favorites include this post about a wind turbine visit- where the bloggers made a parachute out of a plastic bag and dropped it off the 260' high turbine. it even has a video. To check out a photo gallery of GE wind turbines, check out this page.

Or this post, that shows a few antique GE ads, and shows the original text,  “Really, you can’t blame her. Who wouldn’t drag her friends out into the kitchen to show off her new General Electric? There it stands, gleaming white, strong as a safe, incredibly quiet … the envy of all who see it.”

The blog also discusses some of the cool new technologies that folks at the GRC have been working on, including nanotechnology, oled lighting, and more.

The blog is still pretty new, so check back for more first hand information compiled by the bloggers!