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Paying close attention in class has paid off for civil engineering major Jennifer Murno ’02 (Wayne, N.J.) in her internship at Edwards & Kelcey, Inc. in Morristown, N.J.
Murno is working in the company’s wireless department, which deals with fiber optics. Edwards & Kelcey develops integrated systems for transportation and communications clients, among other engineering services.
“I pretty much do a little bit of everything,” says Murno. “Sometimes I make revisions to AutoCADD drawings, while other days I’ve done deflection calculations of bridge hangings, and then found the maximum shear and bearing stresses. That was very exciting because I had to bring in my class notes to find the formulas necessary to do the calculations. Presently, I am assisting one of the engineers in writing specifications for a job that is going out to bid in AugustI’m learning a lot by reading through everything and it gives me a sense of how jobs are actually done.”
While her work with wireless technology is a new experience, Munro says she is being exposed to many civil engineering areas covered in her classes.
“The most important thing I have learned is responsibility and how to work with others,” she notes. “The work I do affects the whole team working on the job, so if I am not efficient, then I am not being an asset to the team. I have learned that sometimes the job given to me is not always spelled out and I have to think about it. That is something I love because if I were told everything, then my brain would never be used. Questions are incredibly important too. Even though I am expected to figure things out for myself, when I am unsure, I always make sure to ask, and therefore, I don’t make as many mistakes as if I just took a guess.”
Although she is not certain of her career plans, Munro is attracted to Edwards & Kelcey’s diversity of civil engineering services and allowance for employees to rotate among them. “Just being exposed to this working atmosphere and the people makes me think that maybe this is a company that I would want to stay with, just because there are a lot of different opportunities here,” she says.
The most enjoyable aspect of the job for Munro is working on a team. “I am a relatively outgoing person, so I don’t think I would want to do all my work by myself,” she explains. “The people I work with are great and they are very interested in helping me learn about what actually goes on in industry.”
The internship became available after Munro sent resumes through the Northern New Jersey branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers. She began work May 21 and will finish Aug. 17.