RAND Summer Intern Kevin Sukhnandan.
Bill Nye the Science Guy recently said, “There's nothing I believe in more strongly than getting young people interested in science and engineering, for a better tomorrow, for all humankind.”
He would have loved my summer internship at RAND.
Every summer RAND offers an internship through an engineering class taught by Robert Whalen at Richmond High School in Queens. Mr. Whalen recommends three of his students from the class to interview at RAND, and this summer I was fortunate enough to be the one selected for the internship. RAND’s internship program gives students the opportunity to learn about real world engineering and architecture and see how some of the principles we learn in class are put into practice.
I was assigned to RAND’s Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing team and the Energy team. I went out in the field with project managers whenever possible, which gave me the opportunity to visit different parts of the city and see interesting buildings and systems.
My first site visit was at an Upper West Side building with RAND Project Engineer Norbert Gorgowicz, who showed me what an old electrical system looks like and explained how it was going to be upgraded. The visit was a pre-bid walkthrough with contractors, so I saw what goes into bidding for a large project.
Norbert also took me to a building that was undergoing an oil-to-gas conversion of its heating plant and explained how a boiler works. Our timing was right because on the day of our visit the boiler was opened for repairs, and Norbert traced the path the gases flow through, which helped me better understand how the system generates heat.
In addition, I went with one of RAND’s mechanical engineers, Zohaib Dar, on a site visit for a heating plant upgrade. He pointed out the new boiler, chimney, and backflow preventer and explained the best practices for administering such a project.
I would have to say that my most memorable site visit was on the roof of a Fifth Avenue co-op, where Norbert and I went to observe the decommissioning of a cell phone antennae. The views of Central Park and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir were amazing!
Back in the office, I learned about AutoCAD, a program used to produce building designs and details. RAND Project Associates Sam Jacobs and Ryan Ballinger showed me how to place drawings into templates, and how to move, copy, scale, and trim them. The program helped me better understand the concepts of the construction work I saw in the field.
The work atmosphere at RAND is amazing. People treat each other with respect, and that includes looking out for the interns. We were given tasks to learn more about engineering and architecture and allowed go on site visits to see what actually goes on during a project. I asked a lot of questions, and everyone was patient with their answers and glad to help.
My summer at RAND was a great experience. It definitely got me more interested in engineering, and I’m looking forward to pursuing it further. Thanks again to Mr. Whalen, RAND’s President Stephen Varone, and all of the staff at RAND, who are helping to make a “better tomorrow”!
