I’ve had so many great times at Carpenter Marty this summer.  I’ve enjoyed the multiple times we all went to lunch together, especially at the beginning of my internship. My first week here I only had to pay for my lunch once. One specific time I can recall is when we went bowling for fun loving Thursdays. I won in the tenth frame, hitting three strikes to beat out Shehu, spoiling his revenge tour from placing last the previous year. On the way back, I found a Rubik’s cube in the back seat of Patrick’s car. Shehu didn’t believe I could solve one in under a minute and he pulled out his phone to time me. You should’ve seen the look on his face when I placed the solved cube in his hand 45 seconds later. I made it look so easy that Ali was convinced that he could solve it. The rest of the ride back he made his best attempts only completing one layer in the end.

Ali and Patrick have said it best: “School only teaches you the general problem-solving skills.” Most all the work I have done here, I had never seen in any of my classes. It’ crazy that there is no calculus or differential equations used, when most of my classes focus on them.  I hadn’t touched MicroStation, InRoads, or OpenRoads in my classes and there isn’t a day that goes by here where we don’t use those programs. The only thing similar to these programs that I have used in school is AutoCAD. AutoCAD only shares similarity through its simple drawing commands and mechanics. However, it’s great to be able to gain new experience in programs I’ve never used before.

It was such a big surprise to me the different civil engineering disciplines that transportation engineering includes. I had no clue how much earthwork, drainage, environmental, and structural design a small bridge rehabilitation project could include. There is so much more planning and designing that goes on in these projects than I could have ever imagined. I got to look at a few completed plans sets and on average they were 200 pages in length. It has made me become more aware and appreciative of roadway construction whenever I go through a work zone.

One word to describe Carpenter Marty Transportation is supportive. Anytime I was confused or struggling to complete something, Matt, Shehu, or Patrick would help and reassure me that it’s okay to ask as many questions as I need. One word to describe the work I’ve done here is challenging. Challenging in a way where you have a completely new problem each day and think of new ways to solve them. I’m very glad the work here isn’t easy or repetitive because you don’t really learn anything if it is. Having to work around problems that are unique requires teamwork while experiencing their thoughts and approaches to solving them.

All of my learning this summer has come directly from my colleagues, and I have really enjoyed gaining knowledge from their prior experiences. One word to describe my experience here is irreplaceable. Patrick, Ali, Shehu, and Matt have become good friends of mine. The presence of generosity and sincerity in the Charleston office despite its small size is incredible. They have truly looked out for me so much. I cannot portray in words alone how much I appreciate and respect everyone I have met here.

I spent most of my time working on the Johnny O’Dell Linville Memorial Bridge located outside of Kermit, WV. The team let me design sheets including the plan, profile, geometric layout, typical sections, maintenance of traffic, right-of-way, surface, utility, and title sheets. I had fun learning how to create these and contributing to the progress of this project. A goal of mine in my career is to help contribute to the improvement of my home state’s infrastructural needs. Being able to work on this West Virginia project helped start to fulfill that goal.

Throughout my internship I was a part of right-of-way meetings, discussed deadlines and responsibilities for what needed to be completed next. I was able to go out to the County Clerk’s office in Williamson, WV with Patrick to do deed research for the property and right-of-way sheets. We even saw the Johnny O’Dell Linville Memorial Bridge I had worked on while we were down there which was neat. It’s one thing designing it on a computer screen, but to see the actual size of the bridge and the amount of traffic that utilizes and depends on it is a surreal experience.

Thank you all for this incredible experience.

Cameron White

West Virginia University

Class of 2023