Our student this week isGarrett Smith
, a chemical engineering major who accepted a co-op at Eastman Chemical located in Kingsport, Tennessee.
Smith describes the department he worked in and what his main responsibilities were.
“I worked in Process Safety services,” said Smith. “We maintain and improve the safety of the company through a variety of methods and implementations. The main bulk of what we do, however, is Process Hazard Analysis (PHA). The PHA is an examination of a process and where it could go wrong as well as the consequences of that error, be it a death.”
Smith found technical experience was a valuable benefit he gained during his co-op assignment.
“I have obtained knowledge of a lot of how the chemical industry works,” he said. “This will be beneficial in many ways but especially when I start my career. It will take away the initial learning process of being a real engineer and allow me to start working and contributing quickly.”