Summer Engineering Student Interns Class of 2018

Pictured from Left to Right: Zachary Snow, Patrick Fenstermaker, Austin Doucet, Sophie Campbell, Avery Brooks.

 

“This is not a program where we take interns and have them do menial tasks…everyone here worked on real projects, which gives them real insight into what they will be doing in private practice.” -Bill Fenstermaker, Chairman/CEO

 

For nearly 15 years, Fenstermaker has welcomed young aspiring engineers to their highly esteemed internship program. These students are afforded the opportunity to work on real projects under the direction of practicing professionals. This past summer, five students were handpicked to participate in 10 weeks of full-time hands-on experience, working side by side with their mentors. This culminated with the Engineering Intern Presentation, attended by the company’s top engineering directors and members of the executive team.

The presentation’s inception was spearheaded by Fenstermaker Vice President of Engineering, Raymond Reaux. “Six years ago, my son had a Chemical Engineering internship with Chevron,” Reaux recalled, “and at the end of his duration, he gave a big presentation to many of the company’s top executives.” He believed implementing a similar program would encourage the interns to take their work to the next level, and he was certainly right.

Each presenter showcased the projects they worked on, the contributions they made, and the key takeaways from their involvement. The professionalism exhibited by all who spoke reinforces the importance of the program. “Presentations are a huge part of an Engineer’s career, and everyone here today maintained eye contact with the audience, created meaningful slides, and spoke with confidence that kept everyone engaged,” said Dax Douet, one of many Engineering Directors who asked tough questions and offered valuable critiques.
We would like to thank all involved in the internship program, and everyone who attended and participated in the presentation. The future leaders of our industry are off to an incredible start.

 

The 2018 Fenstermaker Engineering Interns are:

Austin Doucet: Originally from Sulphur, LA, Austin moved to Lafayette to attend the University of Louisiana. He was a part of the 2018 UL Steel Bridge Team and won Deep South before traveling to Chicago for nationals. During his time with Fenstermaker, he has been fully engaged with the Apollo Road Extension. For this project, he worked on the drainage design, sight triangles, auto turn, quantities & cost estimate, and reviewing the submittals. He also gained valuable experience in using ArcGIS software and learning detailed procedures of the public bid law.

Avery Brooks: Avery currently studies Civil Engineering at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. As an engineering intern at Fenstermaker, he worked on proposed “no parking” zones for the city of Carencro, LA. His approach was to use the principals of intersection sight distance and clear sight triangles. He also worked on the Post Road Wastewater Treatment Plant where his tasks included: Zero Bed-Slope Head Loss Calculation, Revit Modeling, and client and Design Team meetings. Key takeaways from his experience include the importance of leadership, management structure, and clearly communicating thoughts and ideas.

Zachary Snow: Hailing from River Ridge, LA, just outside of New Orleans, Zachary just recently transferred to UNO and is expecting to graduate in the Spring of 2020. He is a student member of ASCE and ACI. His internship took place at Fenstermaker’s New Orleans office, where he worked on Central City projects, drainage pipe inspections for Orleans Levee District, and the Corbello Road Bridge in Calcasieu Parish. His experience gave him a better knowledge of MicroStation and InRoads, basic roadway and drainage design principles, and bidding procedures.

Patrick Fenstermaker: Born in Lafayette, LA, Patrick is currently a Senior in Civil Engineering at LSU. As an intern in the Baton Rouge office, he participated in a Nitrogen Impact study at False River, a 3,000-acre oxbow lake in Pointe Coupee Parish. He also worked on Environmental Assessments for US 80 in Monroe and the Cane River Church Street Bridge in Natchitoches. Most notably, Patrick was proud to be a part of the Queen Bess Island Restoration project, which aims to cultivate a suitable habitat for nesting of brown pelicans, terns, black skimmers, and other significant wildlife.

Sophie Campbell: From Moss Bluff, LA, Sophie currently studies at McNeese State University, where she also serves as Vice President of ASCE. Sophie conducted her internship at the Lake Charles office. From there, she was able to work on multiple projects in Calcasieu Parish including street level drainage and regional watershed planning. A noteworthy contribution she made to the company was creating a Utility Coordination Excel Sheet to help keep track of all projects and their statuses with utility companies. Her internship at Fenstermaker has helped her with time management, organization while multitasking, professional communication, and business development.

 

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