Day 8: Newark, DE Office and Site Visit!

Today I took another long drive! This time to Newark, Delaware. The commute should only be about 1 hr. 15 minutes but with traffic and a detour (right around Havre de Grace, where I used to work), it took almost 2 hours. It's okay though since I'm familar with the area! Ironically, my uncle, Dr. Harry (Tripp) Shenton III, is actually a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and is now the Dean for Undergraduate Education for the University of Delaware! I grew up going up to Newark to visit my family and also my best friend who went to UD. It is fun to be back in a place I have fond memories of...

Counselor Connections

• There is a lot of work out there in transportation. With KCI- you can be an inspector and there is a huge need for inspectors. You can get involved in inspecting in the summers during high school, right after you graduate high school, during college, or after college! There are so many opportunities!
  
• Bookkeeping is another area of KCI that I didn't think of! This involves handling the budget. Money is so important when it comes to construction $$$!
• If you have a good attitude and a hard work ethic, you will go far! I can tell just by my interactions with everyone from inspectors in the field to engineers in the office!

Peter Bourne, Vice President, Regional Practice Leader for Delaware, Construction Inspection and Management
Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from University of Maryland

10 years with KCI

I spend the day with Peter, another super friendly guy who is so willing to spend the whole day immersing me in his work. The first part of the day I spend in his office and he talks to me all about what they do at the office in Delaware. I enjoyed learning his life story and how he got to where he is today with KCI. He said that 90% of the people he is responsible for are inspectors out in the field and he has 50 to 60 people he is responsible for. He has a big job! The other people in the office are engineers and bookkeepers. The bookkeepers actually have a very important job of keeping track of the contractor's budget. These individuals seem to actually hold a pretty high position in the company, many of whom were in the field as inspectors starting out but are now in the office doing the finances.

Over 80% of the work that Peter and his team does is with the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT). The projects I will be seeing today are in the New Castle and Newark area and they are with DelDOT. 

First, however, Peter treats me and his colleage, John, who does bookkeeping, to lunch! I've been treated to lunch 3 days in a row- I feel so lucky! Thanks KCI! It was nice to sit in the A/C and talk with Peter and John about their work and also get to know them personally. They were so friendly and easygoing! 

Now we are off to some site visits! First we go see a bridge being constructed (much smaller than the Nice Bridge). I get to talk to the inspector at the site and he shows us around. Super nice, down-to-earth guy! A lot is being held up with the project right now due to some environmental/wastewater issues. I learn about that and how complicated and messy projects can get. They don't seem too worried, however, about the project getting done. The funniest part about this experience is that it was sunny when we got there and then suddenly a huge gray cloud came over our heads and a quick summer storm passed right over us right as we were walking the site. It was actually really fun and I felt like I was really IN it! You can see me completely drenched in the photo above. My journal was drenched too- evidence of my time out in the field!!!

Next we got to see some major projects being done on the roadways in Newark and in and around University of Delaware. We drive around most of the sights and then we stop at a road right outside Newark High School to see if we can talk to one of the inspectors on site. Luckily we are able to talk to someone and take some pictures! I also got to meet with another guy, Ahmad Rasheed, who is in the rotational program with KCI and is currently doing his rotation as an inspector at the site. He is coming right out of college from University of Delaware. I asked him if he knew my uncle, and he actually took a Geotechnical Engineering class with him! What a small world! I'm excited to tell my Uncle Tripp that I ran into him!

The road in front of Newark HighSchool is being dug out and reconstructed because it was very old and falling apart. Their deadline is very quick because they need the road to be up and running for when school starts back up in less than a month. The inspector said they are working 24/7, day and night, to get this project finished in time. And he says all of this with a smile on his face! These KCI employees are amazing!

I just finished 2 long days on sites and I am tired and I don't know how these employees in the field do this every day! But I am also filled with excitement and a sense of accomplishment that I was able to get a taste of what their jobs are like! I will be forever grateful to have these opportunities. I also can't wait to visit these sites and drive over the roads and bridges and see them completed. I can say that I stepped foot on these sites as they were being built and now I can see the finished product. How cool!

Off to rest this weekend and excited to learn more next week. I can't believe I'm halfway done my externship already!