Submitted by Victoria Houghton on Thu, 22/04/2021 - 11:15
Host Organisation: AECOM
Year Completed: 1st year of the MEng engineering course.
Have you carried out any previous summer work?
Being interested in the applications of software and computer engineering for solving engineering problems, I had done a software engineering internship in the December of my first year.
Host organisation name, location, total number of employees, perks of the job?
For my first summer internship, I worked at AECOM as a structural engineer at the Cambridge office. The structural team alone consisted of around 15 to 20 people and there were other disciplines including MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing), cost and project management teams.
What does the organisation do?
AECOM is a civil engineering company and the structural team has worked on a wide range of large-scale construction projects.
Describe how you found the internship and why you chose it?
I really enjoyed the internship and learned many new things. Working as a team and collaborating to come up finally with a very useful tool that could be used to simplify the design process was extremely motivating and encouraging. I was certain I would have liked to work at AECOM after my interview having met like-minded colleagues who believed in the same engineering principles and workflow as I did.
Tell us what you want to do careers-wise once you graduate?
I am interested in the applications of technology for solving challenging problems and hence my main pursuit is the usage of my computational and engineering skills in a wide range of industries.
List 5 things you learned from your internship and touch on aspects you particularly enjoyed/found challenging.
I learned how different disciplinary teams must work together to come up with a final product and having the resilience to persevere even when problems are repeatedly encountered along the way. I enjoyed developing the challenge I was set and the final outcome had much more of an impact on me as well as the company and helped to reinforce confidence in my capabilities with the applications of computing in engineering.
Has this internship helped shape any future plans?
It has definitely provided me with good experience and allowed me to further build my knowledge of the technological/engineering sector in the industry.
How have the Industrial Placements team helped you during your time at Cambridge?
Keeping in touch over the duration of my internship to ensure that I fulfilled the requirements for my course was very helpful and encouraging.
What has been the most useful thing for you?
Being able to see what I could create in the real-world with my existing knowledge really intrigued me and has inspired to take on further challenging projects that have the potential to make a positive impact in the future.