What We Learned This Summer
the schnabel Interns Share about their Experiences
This summer, Schnabel interns stepped beyond the classroom and into real-world engineering projects across the country. They analyzed data, visited job sites, supported construction, learned new software, and worked alongside experienced technical professionals—all while making meaningful contributions to the projects they supported.
Collectively, our interns worked on 334 projects and participated in 296 site visits, averaging about eight projects per intern. While every internship experience was different, the common thread was the opportunity to learn by doing.
We asked three interns to take us behind the scenes of a project that stood out during their summer.
Unraveling the Mystery Beneath a Dam
When Mark McKelvey started his internship in our Alpharetta, Georgia office his timing couldn’t have been better. Data collection and analyses were just getting underway at Lake Paul Wallace Dam in Bennettsville, South Carolina, where Schnabel is working on rehabilitating the existing embankment structure and spillway systems.
Mark was able to follow the geotechnical investigation from the beginning, working with data from the 22 soil testing borings performed at the site. He developed geologic profiles and cross sections, interpreted field and laboratory data, and supported seepage and slope stability analyses using tools including AutoCAD Civil 3D and GeoStudio.
But the most valuable lesson came from something that can’t simply be learned from a textbook: how to make informed decisions when you don’t have all the answers.
“You can’t have a borehole everywhere across the site,” Mark explained. Instead, engineers have to piece together the story of what’s happening below the ground surface using field observations, laboratory testing, regional geology data and experience from similar projects.
For Mark, seeing that picture become clearer as the investigation progressed was one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.
“As more calculations and models are made, details about the subsurface become increasingly clear,” he said. “Almost like unraveling a mystery.”
Taking on New Challenges at Poe Dam
At Poe Dam, Boise intern Brooke Allen found herself working outside her usual area of study.
A mechanical engineering student, Brooke supported renovations to the chains used to lift the dam’s spillway gates. Her work included performing mechanical and structural analyses, preparing technical documentation, and helping develop a change order for the client.
Along the way, she learned Mathcad, gained experience working with project budgets and estimates, and strengthened her technical writing skills.
One of her biggest takeaways was discovering how differently mechanical and structural engineers can approach the same component.
“I learned the difference between mechanical and structural analyses of the same gate component, and the purpose behind each,” Brooke said.
Stepping into a new area of engineering became one of her favorite parts of the internship.
“I have loved the challenge of unfamiliar concepts, being able to learn while having ownership of a specific part of the project,” she said.
Seeing Construction Come Together at Lower Lathem-Jurgens
For Keaton Roof, the internship meant getting hands-on experience in the field at the Lower Lathem-Jurgens construction project.
The project involves construction and monitoring of a slurry wall designed to minimize groundwater interactions. Keaton helped collect samples, learned monitoring procedures, and performed geotechnical testing, including gradation, viscosity, and density tests.
She also got an up-close look at the equipment and coordination required to turn a design into a finished structure.
One piece of equipment especially caught her attention: the clamshell, which she had never seen before.
“I liked seeing each machine work to create such a huge final product,” she said.
But the project also taught her something less visible—and just as important: the value of communication. With multiple companies working on site, keeping everyone informed about samples, specifications, and mechanical issues was essential to keeping the project moving.
For Keaton, it was a firsthand lesson that successful engineering isn’t just about technical knowledge. It’s also about people working together.
Learning by Doing
Mark, Brooke, and Keaton worked on very different projects, but their experiences highlight a common part of the internship experience: the opportunity to learn through real work. Rather than simply observing from the sidelines, our interns were trusted to contribute to active projects, take on new challenges and see how their knowledge and skills are applied in the field.
From technical analysis and data interpretation to field work, testing, and collaboration, our interns gained experience that went beyond the classroom. They learned from the people around them, tackled unfamiliar problems, and gained a better understanding of how their individual contributions fit into the larger picture.
And with 334 projects and 296 site visits, those lessons extended far beyond these three experiences.
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We’re grateful for the work our interns contributed this summer and for the curiosity, energy and fresh perspectives they brought to our teams. They embraced new challenges and made meaningful contributions to the projects they supported.
Thank you to our 2026 interns for a great Summer! We’re excited to see where the knowledge, skills, and experiences they’ve gained at Schnabel will take them next.