Intern experience at Walton & Associates/Consulting Engineers, Inc.: an internship report

Abstract

This internship report describes the author's one-year internship at Walton & Associates/Consulting Engineers, Inc., (WACE) in Bryan, Texas, which occurred during [the] calendar year 1982. His primary internship objectives were to apply his knowledge and trainig to solve engineering problems and to develop administrative and managerial skills necessary to contribute to the successful operation of a small consulting engineering firm. Prior to beginning his internship, the author was Vice-President of WACE and Head of the Transportation Engineering and Civil Engineering Divisions of the firm. In the middle of 1982, he was appointed as the Chief Operating Officer of WACE. The author was responsible for twenty (20) different engineering projects during the internship period. Thirteen (13) of the projects were completed during 1982, and the remaining seven (7) were carried into 1983 to completion. Nine (9) of the projects were categorized as Traffic Engineering projects while the remaining eleven (11) were general Civil Engineering projects. Additionally, the author wrote or co-authored four (4) project proposals, which ranged from a roadway optimization program for the City of Houston to the nationwide study of roadway edgeline widths for the Federal Highway Administration, and assisted in analyzing material for expert witness testimony in highway traffic accident-related tort claim lawsuits. The author's internship proved to be very beneficial. It allowed him to expand his engineering skills into various engineering disciplines, to become more involved in the day-to-day operation of a small engineering consulting firm, and to experience the difficulties inherent with the development of a young engineering firm. The author found that the internship fulfilled the specific objectives of the internship requirements, as established by himself, his academic committee, and his internship supervisor.