Engineering students can gain hands-on experience developing projects throughout campus as part of a Physical Facilities design internship.
The number of students from the Watson School of Engineering who have applied to gain work experience and contribute to the growth of Binghamton University’s campus has steadily increased since the program’s inception in 2005.
Jason Gilbert, a mechanical engineer at Physical Facilities who works directly with the students, said this internship was beneficial for both the students and the department.
“Students from the engineering school on campus would receive experience solving real-world problems, and we can make use of their skills,” Gilbert said. “It was a win-win for everyone, and it built a relationship between us and the Watson School.”
As a part of the University’s five-year capital plan, Physical Facilities has been participating in large campus construction projects like the new East Campus dormitories.
“There is always work going on campus. Recently we have done larger projects and that’s noticeable to students, like new dorms, across from the Engineering Building,” Gilbert said. “The amount and scope of work has gotten bigger in the last five years.”
This semester, there are three interns who work alongside Gilbert and Anthony Citriniti, a civil engineer and project designer at Physical Facilities, who both head the design projects and guide the interns.
Thomas Eiche, a junior, and Alison Gang, a senior, both majoring in mechanical engineering, were hired this semester and currently receive course credit for the internship. Evan Frank, the student assistant, directly supervises the newcomers and is paid hourly.
Frank, a returning intern, has contributed to many projects on campus, including handicapped parking lots on either side of the Glenn G. Bartle Library, renovated sidewalks, bus stops and retaining walls.
“We get to visit construction sites on campus, and observe the work in progress from both the design and the construction aspects,” said Frank, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering.
Physical Facilities is currently heading a number of projects on campus, some of which include improvements to chemistry labs, the West Gym and renovating the old Dickinson Dining Hall.
“These are all projects I am currently working on,” Gilbert said. “The interns help me with projects that I am doing, and they have projects that they take on and we oversee.”
Last semester, the interns started work on a ventilation project for the University’s pumphouse, which supplies campus with all of its water. The pumphouse was drawing in extensive amounts of heat, so the team designed a heating and ventilation system to cool down the structure more effectively.
Eiche and Gang, new to the program, are learning to use the architectural software, AutoCAD, which they will use to improve the pumphouse system.
Once they are trained, the interns will continue work on the pumphouse, which should be completed by mid-summer, according to Gilbert.
Eiche, a Vestal resident, said he is excited about contributing to the construction of the campus he watched grow.
“I am local,” Eiche said. “I have gotten to see the development of BU my whole life and now I get to be a part of things.”
The application process requires a résumé and cover letter, followed by a selective interview process. Gilbert said that there were more than 20 applicants this semester and that they usually accept only two new students to join the team, though students with limited experience have been accepted into the program.
Current interns also sit in on the interview process for future interns, which provides them with additional experience, according to Gilbert.
Stephen Lee, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering who participated in the internship last semester, also noted that participating in the interview process was among the benefits of the internship.
“This internship was a very valuable experience because of how much it taught me,” Lee said. “It taught me to think more ‘outside the box’ than I could imagine. I also received a much better knowledge base for using CAD [architectural software] programs and I got to attend meetings and interviews from the other side of the table.”
The students receive a pass-fail grade determined by James Pitarresi, department chair in mechanical engineering, and are required to keep a logbook of their experience.
“I am doing it to gain experience with mechanical engineering,” Gang said. “This is a great program that really encourages us to get involved.”