Join us on a journey through the eyes of one of our Site Engineer interns working at CHR Hanson as they recount their summer internship with JP Cullen. From tracking installation progress to creating critical lift plans and learning the ropes of effective collaboration, let’s see what Carlos has to say about his experience.
Each day looked a little different, but a consistent task that I would work on was tracking installation progress through Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams. I would utilize Bluebeam to markup PIDs as our subcontractor would progress on the project. In addition to the drawing markups, I took our subcontractor’s schedule and made updates on how far along they were on their listed activities. The schedule and PID markups would serve as a visual for the project team to better understand positioning in the overall project schedule. I also recently learned about the commissioning process, and I was able to assist by marking up routes for air testing and providing procedures for each route that the project team could follow when completing the tests. It was exciting to see how the tasks that I worked on translated into the field and helped with the progression of the project. This summer with JP Cullen was a valuable experience that allowed me to grow both in my communication skills and as a professional within the construction industry.
The most memorable task I had was being asked to learn what a critical lift plan was in an hour and getting the necessary information from our Ironworker Foreman before they departed our site. I would then make a critical lift plan for the delivery and placement of a 14,000 lb stainless steel tank. This task helped me better understand a Site Engineer’s responsibility as one will not always have the answers but will quickly have to react to learn and find those answers.
This was my first time collaborating with a general contractor so a lot of the tasks that were handed to me were new. One task that pushed me out of my comfort zone was having walkthroughs with subcontractors, especially since they happened at the beginning of the summer. I was still getting an understanding of the project at the time and the rest of my project team was occupied with meetings, so I was handed the task to have a walkthrough with a subcontractor who was going to communicate their layout plans. This task helped me learn about the importance of collaboration and proper communication among all members of a project. This was evident to me as I got to experience other walkthroughs with my project’s Site Engineer and Superintendent and how their effective communication allowed for there to be proper site coordination and a clear understanding of both JPC and owner expectations.
I was impressed by my project team, Jon Christenson, Hunter Halverson, and Chris Miller. Their management of the project and their responsiveness to any issues that would arise stood out to me and encouraged me to take on more tasks and execute them the best I could. It was an exciting and productive summer working with them and am thankful for their effort in helping me learn and experience various aspects of managing a project.
Interested in becoming one of our interns for the Summer of 2024? Check out our intern positions and apply today!
