During the academic year, senior civil engineering student Saja Haj serves as a peer advisor for the College of Engineering. However, this summer, Haj is trading in the advising office for site visits as she works as an engineering intern in bridge inspection for the civil engineering firm Pickering, Corts & Summerson. 

This is Haj’s second internship, her first being with the Philadelphia Department of Streets as a civil engineering intern in bridge design. Her previous internship, partnered with courses like Steel & Concrete Design and Transportation Engineering, helped prepare her for her current position. 

College of Engineering: What organization are you interning for this summer and what is your role? 

Saja Haj: I am interning for Pickering, Corts & Summerson, which is an engineering and surveying consulting company based in Newtown, Pennsylvania. At PCS we design and inspect bridges and roadways; this includes computer-based design and on-site fieldwork. My role as an intern is to assist in inspections. This includes reviewing past inspections paperwork for filing, reviewing structural plans and analysis protocols to measure a bridge’s strength. 

COE: What does your average workday look like? 

Haj: In the typical workday, I head to the office by 9 a.m. and first check in with my supervisor. Usually if she has work for me regarding the projects she’s working on, I get started right away. If not, I help the other engineers with tasks relating to the projects they are assigned. Some of these tasks include hand calculations of elevations points on a bridge, helping review roadway design drawings, cost-estimations, and using structure plans to fill out future bridge inspection paperwork. I use Excel a lot for calculation related work along with other PennDOT databases for filing. 

For the days that consist of site visits, I need to come to the office by 6 a.m. We load the truck that we are taking with the necessary equipment and head to the bridge we are inspecting. Depending on the size and condition of the bridge, the inspection could take a few hours to a few days. For a smaller, roadway crossing type of bridge, we would head back to the office after a few hours and write a report that documents the condition, accounting for deterioration and recommended construction repairs. 

COE: What do you enjoy the most about your internship? 

Haj: I enjoy being part of meaningful projects that contribute to traffic safety. I find it exciting to collaborate with engineers to carry out structure and road-related designs. It can feel very tedious and unmotivating to work with other students at times, but at work it’s the opposite and much more engaging. 

COE: How did you learn about this internship opportunity and prepare for the application process? 

Haj: Before the STEM Career Fair last spring, I researched some companies that were attending and of them was Pickering, Corts & Summerson. I had planned to meet with them and prepared by noting roles they offered which align with my interests. At the career fair I met some of the engineers and they introduced me to the company along with projects they did; we also discussed my interests and my experience in bridge engineering. 

COE: What advice do you have for students trying to secure an internship or who may be starting an internship for the first time? 

Haj: I want to tell my fellow students to do as much research as they can when looking for internship opportunities. Every type of engineering degree is a gateway to many different career paths and doing research will guide you to identifying what field you want to specify in. Knowing your interests will make the job search less daunting and the interview process much easier because you will be more knowledgeable in that field. 

To my fellow students who are starting an internship for the first time, try your best to be active in your role. While we might have the tendency to be shy when we don’t know something, it is so helpful for your learning to be involved with projects and to ask questions.