adidas is a German multinational corporation that designs and manufactures athletic shoes, clothing and accessories.
Charlotte Folinus, MechE '20
I worked with the FUTURE research and development team at adidas. My main project centered around advanced robotic testing for footwear. I used a digital image correlation system to track the deformation of running shoe uppers (the fabric part over your foot) during running motions. This allows you to create a digital representation of the shoe and study the stresses and strains during the motion. My prior work with motion capture, robotics, and midsole testing proved incredible valuable — I was able to quickly get up to speed on the project. Throughout the summer, I gained additional instrumentation experience/ competence by working with new machines/ testing systems. I also had several opportunities to present my work at full engineering team video conferences (for both the Herzo and Portland teams).
I had the good fortune to be there when the company was celebrating its 70th anniversary in conjunction with the opening of a major new building on campus (called Arena). All summer, special speakers and exhibits popped up around campus (called the World of Sports). Our office also hosted a lot of press tours — I even got to give a tour to the entire Supervisory Board and most of the board, including Kasper (CEO) himself! The summer culminated with a huge festival on campus, just for employees. There were food trucks, a water slide, a zip line, and even a Ferris wheel! adidas legends like Pharell and Stan Smith (yes, the person) were in attendance, and Run- DMC came out of retirement for a special concert.
FUTURE was a team that welcomed me, challenged me, and empowered me to do great work. My team was committed to my growth and to ensuring I had an excellent, positive experience. I often feel I won the lottery by getting into MIT, and I feel a bit of the same way about this opportunity. I was qualified for both, but they’re such rare opportunities. FUTURE shares so many of the things I love the most about MIT — the passionate people, the challenging work, and the desire to use engineering to improve the world and people’s lives. It’s a very special environment, and I am really grateful for my time here.
Christine Noh, MechE '19
My project focused on leading the research and development of sustainable manufacturing processes and environmentally-conscious high performance footwear design in the FUTURE engineering team. This internship was a bit different than my past experiences in that I was a materials engineering intern rather in a mechanical department. However, I used my experience at MIT of more open-ended design thinking to introduce frequent interdisciplinary brainstorming sessions and prototyping means. I learned new skills during my time at Adidas such as material analysis through the DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) and the design thinking behind fabricating high-performance footwear from form-factor to manufacturing processes.
MISTI Germany was the best investment of my summer right out of MIT. It was my first time in Europe and it certainly did not disappoint. I learned so much about German culture, its people and its history with friends that made the summer all the more memorable. Also, to have worked with Adidas was the closest thing to a dream come true. As a brand fan, athlete and engineer, to learn from and collaborate with talented individuals from numerous fields of training and walks of life was nothing short of amazing. Being a part of the conscious innovation in sports was also a huge game changer in terms of my perspective on athletics and its communal influence.
Jody Fu, MEng '17
I would say most Adidas employees agree that it is the “best company to work for”. Adidas has by far the best and happiest community that I have ever worked in. Stepping on to Adidas campus, one can easily see that employees live and breathe the brand. My 4 month internship was nicely structured starting with one month of training in materials application, FEA simulation, and mechanical testing. The skills I learned from the trainings built upon already existing skills and enabled me to really make an impact on projects in the final three months.
During my minor in materials, I gained a solid foundation for the mechanical properties of common engineering materials (e.g. metals), which was highly applicable to materials in sports products. The difference was that sports materials require greater environmental resistance, impact resistance, and fatigue/cyclic life. In the Future team, I learned how to use simulation software used as the standard in industry, including Abaqus, a powerful FEA tool and Hypermesh, a tool for controlled meshing. At Adidas, I also carried out many tensile type tests, primarily peel tests, but was also exposed and familiarized with dynamic testing equipment to characterize performance of materials and components under cyclic loading.
My internship at Adidas in Germany makes the top 3 most influential experiences in my life. High school gave me the creativity and inspiration to become a mechanical engineer. MIT equipped me the skills, knowledge, and practice to become a mechanical engineer in industry. Adidas presented me with an industry that allowed me to apply my background in mechanical engineering to sports and fitness, an industry I feel passionate about.