Engineering at Mach Speed: Jaclyn Porter Gains Hands-On Experience with Fighter Jet Avionics

For Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student Jaclyn Porter, a summer internship with L3Harris Technologies provided an opportunity to take engineering concepts out of the classroom and apply them to technology supporting one of the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft.

Working with teams responsible for Environmental Stress Screen (ESS) test systems, Porter supported testing for modules used in the Integrated Core Processor and Panoramic Cockpit Display avionics for fighter jets. Her work took her between L3Harris facilities in Palm Bay and Malabar, Florida, where she helped set up test benches, troubleshoot systems, support production testing and document results.

Putting Engineering Skills to the Test

No two days looked exactly the same.

“A typical day would usually start with a team meeting to touch base on tasks completed the day before and tasks to be completed following the meeting,” Porter said. “Overall, it was a good mix of independent technical work and collaboration with the engineering team.”

Porter’s responsibilities combined hands-on engineering with the detailed documentation required for aerospace testing. She gathered hardware, assembled fixtures and configured test stations using components such as power supplies, servers, PCs, switches, modules and cooling systems. She also created and updated schematics, test procedures, hardware locations and system configurations.

Some tests were conducted at ambient temperatures, while others used thermal chambers to verify that avionics modules could operate across different temperature conditions. Porter also supported developmental testing, helping the team identify whether failures originated with a module, test station, software or system configuration.

One particular test put her troubleshooting skills to work.

After starting an ambient ESS test, Porter noticed that power supplies and fans were not turning on and modules were failing to boot. She began systematically checking possible causes, including Ethernet and USB connections, testing software, hardware calibration and system configuration.

Eventually, she found the culprit: a global network cable was no longer connected to the network.

The experience showed Porter that solving engineering problems in the field often requires more than knowing the right equation or procedure.

“To fix the issue, I worked through different stages of troubleshooting, applying what I had learned in the classroom to a complex, real-world system,” she said.

Porter also gained extensive experience with Linux-based systems. Before her internship, she had limited exposure to Linux, but by the end of the summer, she was more comfortable navigating the command line, managing files and directories, running programs and scripts and troubleshooting issues within the Linux environment.

The experience strengthened her technical problem-solving skills while giving her exposure to tools commonly used in integration and test engineering.

At the same time, Porter found herself drawing on concepts she had learned at Embry-Riddle. Her Spacecraft Systems course provided a foundation in systems engineering that helped her work alongside systems engineers, while electrical engineering coursework helped her better understand the power systems within the testing environment.

“Every class taken at Embry-Riddle has some connection to work in the industry, whether that be direct or indirect for a specific job title,” Porter said.

Dr. Anouck Girard, chair of Embry-Riddle’s Department of Aerospace Engineering, said experiences like Porter’s help students connect classroom concepts with the realities of professional engineering.

“Internships give our students the opportunity to see engineering principles come to life,” Girard said. “They take the technical foundation they’ve built in the classroom and apply it to real systems, real challenges and real engineering teams. That experience not only reinforces what they’ve learned but also helps them return to the classroom with a better understanding of why that knowledge matters.”

For Porter, the internship was also the latest step in building her aerospace career. Her first internship involved work with night vision goggles. The experience and professional connections she developed helped her transition into Airborne Solutions and work with fighter jet avionics.

Her advice for other engineering students looking for similar opportunities is simple: keep applying.

“Apply, apply, apply,” Porter said. “I ended up getting my first internship in summer 2025 from just applying online. I didn’t know anyone at L3Harris and hadn’t talked to anyone in person before my interview. Every student should know that it is possible.”

Porter encourages students not to discount an opportunity simply because it is not their ultimate dream job. Each experience can provide new technical skills, professional connections and a clearer path toward their goals.

“Once you have your foot in the door somewhere, you can build experiences and connections with other people that will allow you to move closer to your dream,” she said. “Any experience you can get is great experience.”