TBT Engineering is a civil engineering firm located in Thunder Bay that specializes in highway design, geotechnical engineering, environmental engineering, engineering and legal surveys, material testing and inspection.
As an Intern, I assist the technicians in the laboratory, testing concrete, soil and superpave aggregates to ensure materials meet certain specifications to qualify for road construction and other projects. I perform gradations, proctors and take natural moisture content for aggregate testing. The lab has been very busy so my 8 hour work day has grown to 9 or 10 hours some days. Today, I left home at 6:30 a.m. and rode my bike to work. I arrived 15 minutes early at 6:45 am to start a busy day.
In the morning, I start by taking samples out of the oven from the day before and set them up to be tested later in the day. We start with the higher priority samples first, for example, proctors. The work is very interesting and very dirty! After that we go straight to Production, which usually consists of basic gradations for the Ministry of Transportation.
In the lab, I perform and assist in the following tasks:
Proctor – finding the optimum moisture content of the sample through method of compaction.
Gradation – size down the stone and record the masses to make sure the samples reach the standards.
Investigation Tubes – size down soil samples which are used for geotechnical profiling, these samples are taken at different depths and locations on a job site.
Maintenance – clean and maintain the work area and testing equipment.
TBT Engineering Limited treated me very well. I work with a great team in the lab. My co-workers are helpful and friendly. Most of them are heading back to College or University and this is our last day of work!! I consider myself very lucky to have worked at TBT Engineering Limited this summer. I have gained relevant work experience, technical skills as well as organizational, time management and team work skills.
Jonathon Kranyak
Hometown: Thunder Bay, ON
Friday, September 3, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
September 2 - Xerox Research Centre
Today marks my second last day of working at the Xerox Research Centre of Canada (XRCC), and I must say, I am quite sad it is ending. My placement has been absolutely amazing! It was informative, eye-opening, challenging and fun.
I’ve worked on many different things here, but my main job consisted of operating a complex bit of hardware and software known as the Strobe Stand. Using image analysis software and some other neat tricks, it looks at the jetting behavior of newly developed inks at different user-set conditions. I ran a series of experiments and made a presentation that was delivered to everyone working on the project at a meeting.
There has been the occasional unpredictable day during the short while that my supervisor’s lab was under renovations, but today was pretty much as predictable as they come. I made numerous test prints for new inks on a modified printer to check how they performed on paper. These will be evaluated by a multitude of different tests to quantitatively measure many different characteristics of the ink. I also set up new printers and readied them to start a ten-day-long experiment.
This being my last full day at work, employees from the lab kindly treated me lunch. Everyone who works here is extremely approachable and knowledgeable, and always willing to answer any questions I might have.
I would like to thank Shad and XRCC for the amazing internship opportunity. Working here has given me some truly valuable insight into the field of research and what to expect in the workforce that I would not have gained anywhere else.
Nick Bandiera
Hometown: Oakville, ON
I’ve worked on many different things here, but my main job consisted of operating a complex bit of hardware and software known as the Strobe Stand. Using image analysis software and some other neat tricks, it looks at the jetting behavior of newly developed inks at different user-set conditions. I ran a series of experiments and made a presentation that was delivered to everyone working on the project at a meeting.
There has been the occasional unpredictable day during the short while that my supervisor’s lab was under renovations, but today was pretty much as predictable as they come. I made numerous test prints for new inks on a modified printer to check how they performed on paper. These will be evaluated by a multitude of different tests to quantitatively measure many different characteristics of the ink. I also set up new printers and readied them to start a ten-day-long experiment.
This being my last full day at work, employees from the lab kindly treated me lunch. Everyone who works here is extremely approachable and knowledgeable, and always willing to answer any questions I might have.
I would like to thank Shad and XRCC for the amazing internship opportunity. Working here has given me some truly valuable insight into the field of research and what to expect in the workforce that I would not have gained anywhere else.
Nick Bandiera
Hometown: Oakville, ON
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
September 1 - New Brunswick Education
I can’t believe that my last day of work has arrived. The past four weeks have been incredible, and they have just flown by. Leaving the Department of Education this afternoon will be disheartening, since I have really had such an amazing time here.
The work I had to do was very entertaining. I had the pleasure of reading through thousands of perception surveys from all the schools across the province. Teachers, parents, and students had made comments about the school, and I made codes for the different comments that were made. You couldn’t help but chuckle at some of the comments, they were just too funny. After all of that, I had to compile the results into a table, so a report could easily be written from them.
The people that I worked with are unbelievable. They are just some of the funniest and kindest people I have ever met. They are what made this experience so incredible for me. I will miss them dearly when I have to say goodbye.
I am so happy that I decided to take this internship. Although I was slightly nervous in the beginning, everything has just turned out so well. It truly has been an unforgettable experience for me!
Nicole Bendrich
Hometown: Fredericton, NB
The work I had to do was very entertaining. I had the pleasure of reading through thousands of perception surveys from all the schools across the province. Teachers, parents, and students had made comments about the school, and I made codes for the different comments that were made. You couldn’t help but chuckle at some of the comments, they were just too funny. After all of that, I had to compile the results into a table, so a report could easily be written from them.
The people that I worked with are unbelievable. They are just some of the funniest and kindest people I have ever met. They are what made this experience so incredible for me. I will miss them dearly when I have to say goodbye.
I am so happy that I decided to take this internship. Although I was slightly nervous in the beginning, everything has just turned out so well. It truly has been an unforgettable experience for me!
Nicole Bendrich
Hometown: Fredericton, NB
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