In addition to site visits, technical experience, and networking opportunities, one major part of the Dewberry summer intern experience is the group project. For the past three years, our interns have participated in summer-long projects that ask them to answer some of the biggest questions facing the AEC industry. Project topics include how to adapt to the impacts of climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the growing influence of technology. Each group is led by an experienced staff member, who serves as a facilitator for the group’s research and presentation. The project gives interns an opportunity to tackle real-world problems, meet interns in other offices and disciplines, and gain presentation experience in a corporate setting.

This year’s topic reimagined the future of consumer spaces in 20 years, including libraries, gyms, health centers, higher education campuses, entertainment venues, and retail. Also, for the first time, the intern project was a competition. Groups presented to a focus group of leaders within the enterprise, and one group, “A Novel Idea,” was chosen as a winner for their innovation and in-depth research on the future of public libraries. Their presentation included ideas for artificial intelligence (AI) assistants to aid users, an immersive experience, where a book’s scenery could be projected at 360 degrees onto an immersive dome, and a virtual reality library, which would allow users from all over the world to interact in a virtual environment. The winning group also had an opportunity to present their findings during a firm-wide virtual town hall meeting. I was honored to be the facilitator to this group, with intern members including Annushka Aliev, Nathanael Campos Jimenez, Phillip Chervenkov, Caroline Krall, Kaylee Senlick, and Heather Wall.

Benefits to Interns

The intern project provides multiple benefits to interns and rounds out their experience. Collaboration across offices and disciplines expose interns to new perspectives outside of their focuses in school and their daily work. They also gain experience on what it is like to lead a project, as cross office collaboration plays a huge role in many of our projects. Additionally, consistent interactions with members outside of their office fosters networking and connection opportunities; interns leave their experience with new friends and colleagues from all over the nation.

Interns also have a chance to think beyond the math equations and technical information they are learning in school.

The intern project encourages abstract, creative thinking to discover innovative solutions. Interns are rewarded for their hard work by creating tangible results in the form of a presentation that can be shared with and applauded by their peers and mentors." Amanda Voorhees

Benefits to Facilitators

While interns gain new knowledge by their participation in the group project, facilitators do the same. Acting as a facilitator is a rewarding experience that I enjoy each year. I relish the opportunity to step back and hear the inventive ideas the interns bring to the table. They offer fresh perspectives that challenge my preconceptions about my work.

In this project, it was especially interesting to hear the relationships our interns had with technology, which contrasted to those of myself and my peers.  As demonstrated through their intern project, the interns I mentored viewed technology imaginatively and were open to testing its possibilities. As the projects I work on continue to be tailored to this generation, hearing their viewpoints provided valuable insight to guide how I create solutions for clients.

The intern group project is a valuable experience and principal part of the summer as a Dewberry intern. It’s one of the many ways an internship pushes students to learn, grow, and prepare themselves to begin their professional career.

Interested in participating in a Dewberry internship? Find opportunities  here.