My Civil Engineering Internship Experience

By -
How do you receive an internship offer? Most students obtain an offer after meeting and interviewing with companies at a career fair or by applying online and virtually interviewing. I obtained my first internship through a bit of an unconventional way. Although I received some offers via Purdue career fairs, they were all based in the Midwest and I wanted to return home to the East Coast for the summer. To obtain an internship on the East Coast, I researched other civil engineering companies and applied online through their websites and LinkedIn. I received many rejections from a variety of public and private firms until one day I thought I was just opening another rejection email. The email was from an architect in Delaware who informed me that he does not take interns, but that he will connect me with his son, who works at DelDOT and does hire civil engineering interns. Little did I know that the architect’s son was the head of the Bridge Design division at DelDOT (the Delaware Department of Transportation). After interviewing with DelDOT, I was offered an internship in Bridge Design and accepted.

Bridge Inspection
During my first day in the office, I learned two important things. After training in the morning, I met my mentor, Gus, who toured me around the office and introduced me to the members of Bridge Design. After meeting everyone, I looked to my left and then to my right—there was not a single female engineer in Bridge Design. The first thing I learned was that I would be representing female civil engineers. Next, once I discussed the layout of the internship with Gus, I realized that DelDOT was very intern-focused. DelDOT offered training for necessary CAD, sent me on rotations to understand other imperative aspects of engineering (such as surveying, bridge management, and construction), brought me on-site visits to bring the blueprints to life, and varied the projects I worked on to provide me with a wholistic view of the bridge design process. 

In the office, I worked on a variety of projects such as checking contractor blueprints, calculating quantities, creating property lines in MicroStation from deeds, and even designed a wingwall in CAD after reviewing soil borings and using Mathcad. Out of the office, I visited sites of bridges I reviewed in the office as well as those being inspected by the Bridge Management division. Additionally, I went on a rotation with survey, learned about how to set-up and use a total station as well as how the total station measured the data. This rotation has aided me in my Geomatics class (CE 203) this semester, especially since our first unit covers surveying and leveling.

Indian River Inlet Bridge Climb

The last site visit I took was to my favorite bridge in Delaware—the Indian River Inlet Bridge. As I pass each cable, I am amazed by the bridge’s breathtaking beauty and engineering marvel. Since DelDOT owns the bridge, we scheduled a time to climb the pylons. This climb consisted of three ladders which added up to over 200 feet. Although the climb left your legs burning, arms shaking, and lungs gasping for air, the view at the top made it well worth the hard work. Driving over the Indian River Inlet Bridge every day last summer served as a constant reminder that the field of civil engineering continues to evolve and value design and innovation as much as structural integrity and durability, which further developed my passion for civil and structural engineering.

 
The three months I spent interning with DelDOT this past summer have opened my eyes to a broader sense of civil engineering, taught me the extreme importance of clear communication, pushed me out to my comfort zone and knowledge area, and built up my confidence as a female engineer.

- JT Sarisky
Sophomore, Civil Engineering
WE Link Leadership Team

Stay Connected With Purdue WIEP!
Twitter: @purduewiep 
Instagram: @purduewiep
Email: welink@purdue.edu
Use the hashtag #PurdueWIEP on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
Purdue Women in Engineering

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Purdue Housing

By -
Image
One of the many concerns incoming freshmen have is what to do regarding their housing options. In addition to the roommate selection process, you may be interested in seeing your on-campus options in terms of amenities and the communities available within the building. For example, when I accepted my admission to Purdue as a freshman, I knew I was interested in a standard double that I had experienced at a summer college program. To ensure my University Residences housing, I applied to Vertically Integrated Projects so that I would be able to pursue a research project as a freshman while also guaranteeing my housing within Earhart Hall through the connected learning community. For more information on learning communities, read our previous blog! Many freshmen will live in a residence hall, even if they are not in a specific learning community. Now, as a Resident Assistant or RA in Earhart Hall, I have been trained on the term “residence hall”; our halls go beyond a traditional “dormito...
Read more

Top 10 Extracurriculars Purdue Students Want You to Join Outside of Engineering

By -
Image
1. Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM):  The biggest student-run organization on campus! You can join as a dancer, where you get to fundraise leading up to the 18-hour long event or be even more involved and join a committee! Some of the committees include Riley Relations, where you fundraise to sponsor events for the Riley families throughout the year & are paired with a Riley family for the night of the event, Special Events Committee, where you organize 5K’s and other events around campus throughout the year, and so much more! 2. Boiler Gold Rush (BGR):  Whether it be as a new student, a team leader (TL), or even a Supervisor, there are so many ways to get involved with BGR! This week-long event is held the week before classes start in August. As a new student, it is your first chance to meet your new colleagues and participate in many games, fountain runs, and other fun activities throughout the week. It is also a great way to familiarize yourself with the ...
Read more

A very (sub)objective review of dining options at Purdue

By -
Image
Jenn and her friends after the Thankgiving dinner Food is an integral part of our day. For some people, the very first thing they do in the morning is eat breakfast. I personally prefer my cup of coffee to a stack of waffles. Nonetheless, food has the power to pick up a bad mood, enhance a good mood, and even ease the stress you are feeling about exams and homework. The awareness I have of how food impacts my mood is recently found since I started college in August. at home I usually came home to my mom or dad making something delicious in the crockpot. Suddenly I arrive at college and there are so many options that it can get overwhelming at times to figure out what to eat. Navigating the dining options at college did not seem like something I should have been worried about, yet it was something that took a month of experimenting to perfect.  The key is knowing where to go and what is consistent. I decided to help you out and give you some insight into how I view each dining optio...
Read more