New Hampshire Department of Transportation

“I thoroughly enjoyed working at the DOT this summer. As an intern, I spent most of my time in the field collecting asset information related to culverts and closed drainage systems located within state-owned/maintained highway corridors. I utilized a state-issued iPad, uploaded with GIS mapping, to record data into the Statewide Asset Data Exchange System (SADES). I was able to apply my engineering knowledge and judgment to determine the condition of each asset and the direction in which water was flowing, as well as other parameters. Through that, I discovered patterns and successfully solved each "puzzle" of drainage systems. The people I worked with were highly encouraging and open to answering any questions, making it a positive work atmosphere. It was a great experience!”

“-The people at the NHDOT are great. People say hello in the hallways and keep doors open for each other. The engineers have a sense of humor, and are incredibly open to answering questions and explaining concepts. My team took the time to encourage me and make sure the work I was doing contributed to my learning, and I was asked multiple times if I had anything I wanted to learn that they would try to expose me to. They also gave me a lot of career and school advice that I can act on. -The work is varied and meaningful. I worked in Highway Design. I helped my team with both active projects and small side projects. As mentioned earlier, my team wanted to make sure I was learning as a priority. I got exposure to Microstation, plan drafting, LiDAR terrain models and contour maps, drainage, quantity estimates, ArcGIS, safety and crash history, Google Earth, guardrail calcs, StreamStats, Synchro, SimTraffic, field reviews, research, typicals, watershed delineation, all sorts of meetings, conference report writing, and more, with field trips to learn about construction and aeronautics. I came in knowing nearly none of this, so that's a lot! I was never rushed to do anything, and there were few times that I wasn't engaged in work: my supervisor even gave me work to do for if I had no work! I spent about 80% of the time in the office, 20% in the field. -Overall, a great experience both in the working atmosphere and amount learned. Got to know a lot about transportation, roads, and New Hampshire.”