2009 SRR Interns Head Back to Campus
August 10, 2009
College students who participated in the 2009 Internship Program at Savannah River Remediation at the Savannah River Site were (in no order): Alexander Brown, Richard Carlile, Andrew Carter, Joshua Coleman, Taylor Corbett, Douglas Gladden, Benjamin George, David Inouye, Eric Kyle, Morgan McDougald, Morgan McHugh, Jessica Phillips, Michael Pruitt, Mathew Reichel, Austin Smallwood, William Spurlin, Henry Tayonekeo, Leigh Tyson, Courtney Waltz, Kaitlin Bedekovich and Jess Welnick.
William Spurlin, a junior computer science major at Georgia Southern University, learned more about team dynamics and how people function working together as one of 20 college interns participating in the 2009 Savannah River Remediation (SRR) Summer Internship program.
“This summer I gained valuable insight into how a professional software development team operates,” Spurlin said. “I will be able to apply my gained knowledge to real-world scenarios.”
Following completion of their assignments, the interns have headed back to campus, all with different experiences and stories to tell, but most of them with a greater appreciation of what the real world of work is really like.
“I became comfortable with a regular 40 hour schedule,” stated David Inouye, a pre-engineering junior at Covenant College, who worked this summer as a computer software developer. “I know more about designing applications for maintainability and reusability by making them simpler.”
Thanks to his summer internship, Austin Smallwood, a senior finance major at the University of South Carolina, believes he can better relate to his classroom instruction.
“Now when I am sitting in class wondering why I need to know what is being taught, I will have practical work experience related to the theory learned in class,” he says. “I was able to get some real world accounting experience, learn about the complexities of a government contract, expand my knowledge of computer applications used in a business setting, and gain experience on how to present myself and make presentations in front of an audience.”
He states, “My internship taught me concepts and principles that cannot be taught in a classroom such as learning how to work as a member of a team, corporate culture, and how to interact with other employees of various ages and backgrounds.”
As the new liquid waste contractor at Savannah River Site, SRR this summer continued the long-standing summer internship program supported the last 20 years by Washington Savannah River Company.
SRR President and Project Manager Jim French told the interns during a recent luncheon that fostering a commitment to develop the next generation of professionals was important to the company.
“We’re always pleased when we can educate college interns about the world outside the classroom,” he said. “Searching for the best and brightest students in the fields of engineering, computer science, business and finance is something this company will continue to do.”
Savannah River Site is owned by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Liquid Waste contract is managed by a team of contractors led by SRR, a subsidiary of URS.
Media Contact: Rick Kelley (803) 208-1707 rick.kelley@srs.gov