Civil and environmental engineering student Hira Malik wrote about her experience working for Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) in Knoxville as part of a co-op.
Working at TDOT this summer, I had the opportunity to work on various projects and gain a lot of valuable experience. Throughout the summer, I have been able to work on a variety of projects such as on-call concrete—which focuses on roadway repair, bridge reconstruction, roadway safety enhancement, and even rock slope improvement—to prevent rock fall. In this picture, I am on the site of a bridge located on Concord Road, Farragut. This project is composed of construction of a bridge above the railroad and widening of the roadway. I got to be on this site most of this summer and thus got to experience pouring of concrete at the abutment and slope (seen behind me). I also got to see the placement of beams and how rebar in reinforced concrete is tied. Additionally, I got to look at project drawings to determine thickness of walls and exact placement of steel bars. Lastly, I also learned about the complexity of projects that involve railroads. Working at TDOT, I have not only been able to apply knowledge from my engineering classes, but I have also made lots of memories that I will cherish!