Of the myriad of options available, why did this particular experience appeal to you?
The summer of 2010, I had the opportunity to work in a chemical engineering laboratory at Vanderbilt University. My hands-on research experience was focused on the synthesis super-hydrophobic films, or surfaces that have extraordinary water repellent properties. {See Links List to read my Summer 2010 blog.} To broaden my professional experiences, I decided to pursue an engineering internship for the summer of 2011. My primary goal was to gain and improve my engineering skills for use in industry. I observed an engineering workplace first-hand, made professional contacts, and increased my interest in a career in energy production.
I applied with Southern Company because I have had a strong interest in energy production and alternative fuels since high school. During the summer after my junior year in high school, I took a summer class at Vanderbilt that focused on nanotechnology and alternative energies. The discussion of alternative energies fascinated me. For my final design project in the class, I choose to develop a design proposal for a product that would harness hydrogen as a fuel source. My internship with Southern Company allowed me to gain valuable work experience in energy production. In my short time, I learned a vast amount of both industry and company specific knowledge and applications. When I pursue and apply for jobs in the energy field, this experience and insight will prove invaluable to make me stand out as an applicant.
In addition, the location of Birmingham, Alabama, drew me to apply for an internship with Southern Company. Birmingham was very convenient for me, as my home is in Mississippi and I have extended family in Birmingham.
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| Vogtle Electric Generating Plant |
What do you know about yourself now that you didn’t know prior to this experience?
I discovered an overwhelming interest in nuclear power. Despite all of the negative sentiment associated with nuclear power, especially after Japan’s Fukishima incident, everything I learned about nuclear power convinced me nuclear power is a very viable and promising alternative energy. While a nuclear reactor has not been built since the 1980’s, Southern Nuclear was recently approved to construct two additional units at its Plant Vogtle site.
Nuclear power is a very clean energy. While there are some radiological emissions, these emissions are strictly monitored by multiple watchdog agencies. There is a small amount of high-level nuclear waste produced, but it is stored on-site. As a comparison of consumption, a one inch pellet of uranium used for nuclear fuel has the energy equivalent of 1780 pounds of coal (Nuclear Energy Institute). In fact, the radiological emissions from a coal plant are three times that of a nuclear power plant.
Furthermore, I learned that the culture of SNC has safety as a core value. Every meeting begins with a safety talk called Target Zero (the safety target is zero incidents). Every task has a written procedure to ensure that guidelines are followed and appropriate measures are taken. Numerous safety plans and redundant back-up systems at the plant ensure safe operation of the plants.
During my internship, I also learned I greatly prefer work in a corporate setting to a plant setting. At SNC, engineering at the corporate level is focused on fleet standardization to improve collaboration between its three plants and process efficiency design improvements. I enjoyed getting to work with all three sites, as every day presents unique tasks and problems. Work at the plants focuses more on steady day-to-day operation, monitoring, and inspection. I prefer the broad variance of the corporate setting to the routine specialization of the plants. In addition, I visited all three sites, and discovered I would prefer a medium to large city over a rural setting. The knowledge of my work preferences will be useful to apply to other companies I may consider working for in addition to SNC.
The department I worked included a variety of technical career paths I was able to observe, including engineers, managers/supervisors, and technical specialists. Within Environmental Affairs, I had coworkers that specialized in environmental monitoring and management, radiological safety and waste management, and chemistry operations. I observed the responsibilities and day-to-day routines of these jobs and fields, which is valuable knowledge to me in the construction of my career path.
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| Hatch Nuclear Plant |
What impact will this experience have on the short-term (class selection, major, minor) and long-term choices you will make regarding your education?
Working as an intern allowed me to apply my academic knowledge to real-world problems. In addition, having experience with real-world engineering will make my coursework problems even more relevant. Moreover, I am really interested in alternative energies and improvements in energy efficiency, so working at a power company was a great match. Because of my internship, I want to return to work for SNC or another company in nuclear power.
This internship is also a great asset in achieving my long-range goals. I want to work as an engineer, and professional experience is an excellent way to help me get my first job. Handling a number of different projects and tasks while working on my long-term project, Remote Manager, greatly improved my project management skills. Project management is a vital skill for a successful engineer. In addition, through my internship I improved my research, data organization and presentation, teamwork, problem-solving, and communication skills.
How have your career/graduate study plans been affected by this experience?
I planned to spend one summer during college doing research and another summer working an internship to guide me in my career and graduate study interests. I wanted to make sure research or engineering in industry were a good match for me. I ended up greatly enjoying both of my summer experiences and the ability to compare the two has been extraordinarily helpful in making post-graduation decisions. I decided I want to pursue an engineering career in industry and do not want to pursue a research career. However, I do enjoy research and think I would enjoy graduate study in engineering.
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| Farley Nuclear Plant |
