In the summer after my sophomore year, I took on a mechanical engineering intern role in Salt Lake City for Michael Baker International, an Architecture/Engineering firm who has been a proud partner of the U.S. government for nearly 85 years. 

Over the course of 12 weeks, I provided planning, design, and construction support for a variety of federal and military projects. I got firsthand experience working on projects for Hill Air Force Base in Utah, Kitsap Naval Base in Washington, and Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas.

I performed mechanical evaluation and design of facilities for HVAC systems, plumbing systems, and mechanical piping. I conducted load modeling, ventilation, and pipe sizing calculations in alignment with International Plumbing Code and International Mechanical Code (IPC and IMC). I became proficient in multiple new software platforms like Revit, Trace 700, and Bluebeam Revu.

Through the Mechanical Internship Program, I attended weekly trainings with the other interns to learn more about different types of HVAC applications, how to perform technical calculations, and gain a greater understanding of the widespread impact of this field of work.

Overall, this experience gave me a glimpse into the world of one-off projects. Many times, we would employ similar methodologies to create a system, but each one had a unique client and different set of constraints that kept the work interesting. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity and I thank all the employees at MBI who welcomed me to Utah.