>>>>> Co-op has some exciting news! The program now includes more options to give students the different experiences they’re looking for! details on back cover
CO OPED Fall 2019
Pitt Swanson School of Engineering Cooperative Education Program
in partnership with the School of Computing and Information and the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Engineering division
CO-OPS OF THE
CARIBBEAN
Construction firm dck worldwide LLC has offered Pitt co-op students an experience that is out of this world—or at least out of this country. Though it’s headquartered here in Pittsburgh, dck has sent several co-op students to job sites in places such as Jamaica, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Nevis, the West Indies, and the Caribbean islands. It has given students an unforgettable experience. “Being able to travel and work in the Caribbean was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Anthony Gentile, a mechanical engineering major. “Working on a beach and seeing crystal clear waters every day was something I’ll never forget.” The chance to travel and work abroad was not what initially piqued Gentile’s interest in dck. It was something much closer to home. “dck was the contractor in charge of PNC Park. I love going to PNC Park, and I personally think that it is the greatest ballpark in MLB (Major League Baseball). I wanted to work with dck to help create a project that people could enjoy for years,” Gentile says. He was located in Anguilla in the British West Indies for his second work rotation during the fall 2018 term. He was able to gain important work experience, and his surroundings weren’t too shabby either.
“The best part of working abroad was the beaches,” Gentile says. “I was on an island with some of the cleanest and most beautiful beaches in the world. After a long day of work, I would head to the beach to relax. I also enjoyed the privacy—there aren’t many people on the island, so I would usually have the beach all to myself.” Gentile was working on the Belmond Cap Juluca Resort project. He assisted the MEP coordinator on different tasks and worked alongside electricians to ensure that the main generators were ready for permanent power. Although he enjoyed working in the Caribbean, it did have its downsides, such as the lack of simple everyday things that we may take for granted in the United States.
Anthony Gentile’s pictures from Anguilla
“In Anguilla, the tap water wasn’t safe to drink because the island lacked a proper sanitation system. All the food was imported because they couldn’t grow anything because of all the hurricanes, which makes prices skyrocket,” Gentile says. Overall, the experience in Anguilla was a unique one for him and one that he thinks other students should consider. “Working in the Caribbean was cool because I got to see how a different culture lives and works on an island that doesn’t have as much access to some of the luxuries as we do. I would recommend dck to other students because the company offers a co-op that gets engineers started,” Gentile says. “I have enjoyed my time with dck and am thankful for all that I have learned with them.”
CO-OP ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Hannah Giacomin— A rc a d is Hannah Giacomin, PE (BSE ’15) began her co-op over six years ago when she was still an undergraduate student in the Swanson School of Engineering. Fast forward to 2019, Giacomin is now an alumnus, but is still working where she got her start back in spring 2013. D Giacomin served as a co-op with the remediation team at Arcadis in Wexford, Pa. She then accepted a full-time offer after she graduated and is currently a staff water engineer. She decided to accept her full-time offer after graduation because of her great experience as a co-op student there and the flexibility that a large company offers.
“I decided to stay on at Arcadis full time because I enjoy the wide variety of projects and potential for growth at the company,” Giacomin says. “I am always learning something new, traveling to a new part of the country, or meeting new people, so I always feel engaged. Because Arcadis is a large company, it has also been easy for me to transfer between offices as my fiancé finished graduate school.” Giacomin learned about the company through one of her peers, who had served as a co-op there. Even then, the large company atmosphere is something that appealed to her. “I was interested in pursuing environmental engineering but was not yet sure what the field had to offer or which area I wanted to focus on. I was drawn to Arcadis because it is a large firm with various fields of environmental expertise in house, and I thought it would help to hone my interests,” Giacomin says.
Giacomin is leak testing a pilot bioreactor that she designed in AutoCAD and had fabricated by a local aquarium shop.
Giacomin handles a variety of tasks and assignments as a full-time engineer at Arcadis. Giacomin has worked on many projects, including as a design lead for a UV disinfection system for the City of Atlanta, Ga. The variety of responsibilities she had as a co-op student has helped to prepare her for her current role. “My first two rotations consisted of design and optimization of several groundwater treatment systems, primarily dual-phase extraction,” Giacomin says. “In my second rotation, I spent three weeks at an emergency response for train derailment, where we sampled and mapped a contamination plume
for rapid containment. During my third rotation, I was in the field as a sampling team lead and where I collected soil samples and site information for eventual site remediation.” Giacomin says that her co-op placement also helped to prepare her for her current role. During her co-op, she learned important professional skills like communication, organization, and networking. She says that being able to network within her own company was very important. She thinks the co-op experience is important for current students to learn these and other skills before they graduate.
“ I decided to stay on at Arcadis full time because I enjoy the wide variety of projects and potential for growth at the company.” “I strongly recommend the co-op program to current and future students. I think companies are generally invested in their co-op students, and therefore provide better training and opportunities to their co-ops (),” Giacomin says. “I think students should come away from their co-ops with an idea of their own strengths and weaknesses, a general path for their careers, and an idea of the work environments that best suit their personalities. They should also leave their co-op with a strong professional network.” Co-oping at Arcadis had a positive impact on Giacomin, and she was able to work full time with her company after she graduated. She is not the only one who benefited from her co-op experience; Arcadis is better off as well, according to Adam Gersh, manager of university relations. “She was able to contribute heavily to the success of projects by working alongside Arcadis employees who are engaged in the assignments. The co-op experience was a win-win situation for both Hannah and Arcadis,” Gersh says.
WHERE DO OUR CO-OP STUDENTS WORK?
Environmental Engineering major Madison McDade worked at Arcadis during the spring 2019 term.
Daniel Klein, BSMET ’18, was a member of the Honda of America Racing Team during his co-op with Honda. Here he is adjusting the
Chemical Engineering Lydia Russell worked with EQT Corporation in summer 2019.
tire pressure during a pit stop for the Pirelli World Challenge at Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Electrical Engineering graduate student Zhaoqiang Peng worked at Candela Medical Corporation in Massachusetts in summer 2019.
Some locations for summer 2019 co-op students
Civil Engineering Major Katherine Paraskiewicz is working in Washington, D.C., with Baker DC.
Mechanical Engineering major Jake Saletsky worked with Williams Energy for his third co-op rotation in Green River, Wyo.
Industrial Engineering majors Matthew Fletcher and Sofia Vidic traveled to San Francisco, Calif., during their summer 2019 rotation with West Monroe Partners.
Nominations Open for Co-op Student of the Year and Employer of the Year
CO OPED
The co-op program is fortunate to have strong employer partners and
D AT E S T O R E M E M B E R
smart, capable students. The Co-op Student of the Year and Co-op Employer
Employer Speed Networking Event Friday, September 13, 2019 University Club, Ballroom B Noon–1:30 p.m.
of the Year awards recognize the time, effort, and hard work the parties have contributed. This is the time of the year to think about those outstanding companies and individuals and to submit nominations for the 2019 awards. The criteria for Co-op Student of the Year are as follows: • Excellent academic record • Outstanding work contributions with co-op employer (students must have completed three rotations) • Volunteerism or contributions to the co-op employer or the University community. Ideally, there will be one nominee from each department. Students must be nominated either by their employer or by their academic department. The University of Pittsburgh can select one candidate to represent it in the National Co-op Student of the Year competition, which is sponsored by the Cooperative and Experiential Education Division of the American Society for Engineering Education. The winner will be flown to the annual conference, which will held in Orlando, Fla. in February 2020, to receive this recognition along with receiving an honorarium and a plaque.
> > > Co-op has some
exciting news!
The program now includes more options to give students the different experiences they’re looking for!
Pitt students have received five national Co-op Student of the Year awards, most recently Julie Shields BSE ’18 in 2018, and one national Intern of the Year Award in 2014. We have had many outstanding finalists as well. The criteria for Co-op Employer of the Year are as follows: • Sustained commitment to cooperative education at the University of Pittsburgh • Quality of projects and assignments The Co-op Employer of the Year and all Pitt Co-op Student of the Year nominees will be honored at the annual recognition dinner, scheduled for Friday, December 6, 2019, at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum. We look forward to receiving your nominations. Please submit your nomination by Friday, October 11, to Maureen Barcic at paub2m@pitt.edu. Feel free to contact her with any questions pertaining to the nomination process.
Co-op Mock Interview Event Friday, September 20, 2019 102 Benedum Hall Noon–1:30 p.m. Fall 2019 Co-op Job Fair Thursday, October 3, 2019 William Pitt Union 9:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Nomination deadline for Co-op Student of the Year Award Friday, October 11, 2019 Contact Maureen Barcic at paub2m@pitt.edu. Co-op Recognition Dinner* Friday, December 6, 2019 Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall 5 p.m.– 7:30 p.m. *for students who have completed all their rotations
Spring 2020 Co-op Job Fair Thursday, January 23, 2020 University Club 9:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
OPTIONS INCLUDE: 2 rotations with one company and: • 1 additional rotation with same company • 1 rotation with a different company • 1 term of research * Any combination of these 3 options will result in successful completion of the co-op program
CO OPED
Co-op Ed is published by the Swanson School of Engineering Cooperative Education Program 152 Benedum Hall 412.624.9826 engineering.pitt.edu/coop
Cooperative Education Program Staff Maureen Barcic, Director paub2m@pitt.edu Chris Frankovic, Associate Director caf54@pitt.edu The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution. Published in cooperation with the Office of University Communications. 112145-0119
Tyler Kimmel, Program Administrator tjk58@pitt.edu