#STEM – Blog

Real-World Industry Experience Through a Virtual Internship Program – Part 2

ArchTam Editors — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 17:59:50 +0000

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, our University Relations team adapted our internship program in the United States and Canada through enhanced virtual collaboration, learning and mentorship opportunities. In the first part of this series, we shared how the program was reshaped to provide a valuable experience to the interns, even while participating remotely. This second part focuses on the program’s future, what our interns learned over the course of the summer and the impact the program had on their career planning.

Where do you see the program going from here?
While we look forward to returning to an in-person workforce soon, we are dedicated to finding the smartest and most innovative thinkers from across the U.S. and Canada. Our plan at the moment is to continue hosting a virtual program as part of our larger internship offering, even after in-person meetings return.

To stay on top of all that ArchTam has to offer, we invite students interested in interning to participate in our weekly speaker sessions and maintain an active network of discussion via ArchTam social media channels. You can also find out more information by visiting https://www.archtam.com/careers.

Hear from several of our interns about what they gained from the program:

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my internship experience at ArchTam. Despite completing the internship virtually, I am honored to have been supported and guided by a team who care deeply about my personal development and growth. Over the course of my summer at ArchTam, I contributed to a broad swath of projects and got a good sense of what it is like to work at the world's premier infrastructure company. Moreover, through weekly intern webinars and socials, I was able to learn more about ArchTam's global initiatives and business lines. By the end of the summer, I had the opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects, home in on technical and soft skills, and network with professionals throughout ArchTam professions. I highly recommend this internship program!” – Sean Adibi

“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to intern with ArchTam this summer. Through leadership, mentorship, and active involvement, I’ve gained industry experience despite the challenges due to the global pandemic. My team was very helpful in providing guidance and making sure I was able to obtain a well-rounded experience on various projects. I was also impressed with ArchTam’s overall flexibility to adapt and accommodate all interns to the best of their ability to ensure we had a purposeful experience. I look forward to working with ArchTam in the future and using the knowledge I’ve learned so far to become a better engineer!” – Myles Greer

“I thoroughly enjoyed my summer internship in the Cleveland, Ohio office with the Environmental Remediation group. My internship was completely virtual, similar to most interns; however, I was still able to gain a lot experience within this program. I greatly appreciate ArchTam’s commitment in providing interns with the experience of working at the company, despite the global pandemic. It proved to me how dedicated they are with their internship program. I also had a wonderful experience with the University Intern Program and team that did an amazing job involving all of the interns in many informational sessions and also fun activities. I am excited to apply what I learned during my summer internship to my future career.” – Alicia DeRoia

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Real-World Industry Experience Through a Virtual Internship Program – Part 1

ArchTam Editors — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 15:50:15 +0000

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, our University Relations team adapted our internship program in the United States and Canada through enhanced virtual collaboration, learning and mentorship opportunities. In this two-part series, we’ll share how the program was reshaped to provide a valuable experience to the interns, even while participating remotely, and highlight what they learned over the course of the summer.

Tell me about the University Relations team and how the ArchTam Internship program has been adapted around the coronavirus pandemic.

The University Relations team is comprised of a diverse team spread across the U.S. that focuses on recruiting marketing and branding, leveraging technology and new applications to enhance the efficiency and success of our programs, and creating internship and entry level programming and career development resources. We also have a team of recruiters who are experts in their various segments/industries and cover the geographic regions across North America.

When offices began to shift to a remote working environment at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the University Relations team quickly pivoted to figure out how we can run a successful internship with the new government advise, mandates and regulations in place. We worked with executives and leadership across the business to confirm that they would still be able to sustain their commitments to their interns, and an overwhelmingly large number enthusiastically confirmed their support. We hosted virtual trainings and lunch and learns from sectors across the company, and also had several “social” activities, including a performance by a comedian, a virtual scavenger hunt, and a geographic trivia game.

What are the goals of the program?

Our virtual internship program offers participants the opportunity to:

Learn about ArchTam, our various lines of business, operating model, mission, values and our unique history
Contribute to meaningful work assignments aligned to interns’ course of study
Create goals and be provided a final performance review at the completion of the internship

Over the course of the program, the interns gain real-world industry experience through opportunities to network with peers and leadership and by gaining a greater understanding of ArchTam’s business objectives, the services and solutions we offer our clients, and the impacts our work has on local communities.

What is the duration of the program?

The formal program ran from June 8 to August 14. There are some interns who will stay on and hopefully many interns will convert to full-time employees over the course of the next year.

What does the virtual summer internship curriculum consist of?

The program is divided into four parts:

On the Job Experience
- We offer work assignments that align with the interns’ course of study
- We ask that the interns contribute to various projects and client requests
Knowledge Acquisition
- Throughout the course of the internship, we’re continuously teaching the participants about ArchTam, including the firm’s history, operations and clients.
- In addition, we highlight the impact of the work that we do. For example, we explain how our company’s mission, vision, and values not only impact the communities in which we work, but also influence the firm’s bottom line.

Networking
- We placed a heavy focus on ensuring we supported the unique emotional and social needs of the interns during this unprecedented pandemic. We offered a variety of helpful resources by way of the “work from home” kit, virtual social events and dedicated internal platforms to connect and build relationships with other ArchTam interns.
Performance and Evaluation
- To help our interns get the most out of the program, we worked with them to develop and submit goals to their managers at the beginning of the program.
- At the completion of the program, managers completed an evaluation for each intern to assess their performance.

How are the interns and their assigned teams staying connected?

Beyond the typical ways of working remotely – email, conference calls, message platforms, etc. – teams regularly hosted virtual social hours and lunch and learns through Microsoft Teams, we also had a dedicated internal digital employee group to drive collaboration, and each intern had a mentor to guide them throughout the internship. Interns were also encouraged to familiarize themselves with our internal resource tools found on our intranet. This allowed them to be fully embedded on their teams and at the company.

How many interns and employees/teams participated?

The University Relations team, which is a part of our Design and Consulting Services Americas and Construction Management talent acquisition teams, along with several hiring managers and over 350 interns participated in our virtual internship program in the U.S. and Canada.

Aside from conducting the program digitally, what were the main differences between the virtual and in-person internship programs?

Due to the impact of COVID-19, we designed the virtual internship program to place a heavy emphasis on the emotional and social networking part of the program. It was very important to us to prioritize supporting the unique needs of participants in this time of uncertainty. Several components of the program included a remote-working kit, virtual social hours and lunch and learns, dedicated internal digital groups, and a virtual mentor throughout the duration of the program.

To learn more about the future of the ArchTam Virtual internship Program and hear directly from our interns about what they gained from the program, read the second part of this blog series.

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South Central Light Rail Transit internship program: Inspiring future generations in Phoenix

Alvin Livingstone — Wed, 27 May 2020 15:38:38 +0000

Investing in young people is an investment in the future and one that we at ArchTam feel is very important to the community in Phoenix that we are serving. Providing new transit options not only provides people with low-cost access to employment, education and recreation, but also offers new opportunities for communities that they serve. This is especially true in Phoenix, Arizona, where the South Central Light Rail Extension (LRT)/Downtown Hub – currently under construction and slated for a 2023 completion – is already connecting these communities with economic and educational opportunities through the South Central LRT high school internship program.

ArchTam partnered with a local transit agency, Valley Metro Rail, Inc. (VMR), to develop the internship program that dates from a startup endeavor in May 2017 and ran through the two years where ArchTam led the South Central LRT project’s design phase. Approximately 25 students participated in the program which took place in June and July and consisted of eight daylong sessions.

During the program’s weekly sessions, the students – mainly high school sophomores and juniors – had hands on experiences in planning and design. In one week, students were divided into teams and used Autocad software to design and build model bridges. They then competed to see which bridge could hold the most weight. In another session, the students had the opportunity to speak in-depth with ArchTam engineering interns who are from similar backgrounds and are now seniors in civil engineering colleges.

Prior to the program, the students had no exposure to engineering or planning and little concept of what these professions were about. The weekly sessions provided insight and made the possibility of careers in these fields seem within reach, a major achievement for students who came from schools in the South Phoenix area a greatly underserved area that has limited resources. The hands-on experience, exposure to the ArchTam interns and engineering and planning professionals working on the South Central project opened students’ eyes to new possibilities of careers in the planning and engineering professions. One student, a senior in 2018, is now attending engineering school at Arizona State University.

The students were also introduced to leaders from the City of Phoenix, VMR and several community partners who discussed careers in design, engineering, planning and public service. College application assistance, financial aid counseling, ongoing mentoring and a $1,000 stipend were also provided to the program participants. The internship culminated at a graduation celebration at South Mountain Community College.

Investing in the communities in which we work is an important part of the work that we do and I’m proud we were able to introduce these students to our professions. This was a team effort and I want to give a shout out to my teammate Janet Yeow, our lead design manager, who organized the activities.

The program had been approved to run for a third year, but unfortunately was cancelled in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. I look forward to participating in the South Central LRT program once it resumes and always welcome the opportunity to give back to the Phoenix community and future designers, engineers and planners.

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STEM Career Spotlight: Our Choices Shape our Journeys

ArchTam Editors — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 13:58:08 +0000

In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, and this year’s theme, #EachforEqual, we are featuring stories from our leaders and employees throughout the week of March 2, across themes ranging from the importance of inclusivity to the power of allyship.

We asked our women employee network: What’s the best career decision you’ve ever made? From associate vice presidents to senior engineer consultants, here’s what they had to share.

Ready for your next big career move? Browse our Careers site and sign up for our Talent Network to stay in the loop on new opportunities.

Amy Canfield – Associate Vice President, Transportation

I attribute a lot of my success to identifying mentors early on in my career. I’ve proactively sought out relationships with people in positions I aspire to and I’ve been fortunate to have several people take me under their wing. The advice, cautionary tales and relationships they helped me foster have shaped my career goals. I’ve surrounded myself with allies who truly care about me and support my ambitions — both professional and personal. I don’t work in fear and because of that, I’m happy, I take chances and I’m not afraid to dream big.

Dana Al-Qadi – Senior Engineering Consultant

The best career decision I ever made was realizing that careers are hardly ever built on a single decision. Careers are the culmination of all the times we decide to say “yes” — a tiny word that can lead to immense change. I have benefited from saying yes to working in new disciplines, investing in my own technical growth in emerging areas, prioritizing learning from our many experts and committing my time to mentorship and team growth. Even when opportunities do not immediately seem like they fit in the larger goals of your pre-planned career, they can still be incredibly valuable.

Maria Ivanova – Architect
The best career decision I’ve ever made was to join the graduate development program in Continental Europe. It introduced me to new people in various roles who had different expertise. I’ve learned that expanding my network is one of the most powerful development tools. Collaborating with and learning from others has helped me become more confident, both personally and professionally — I was able to settle in to a new role in Kazakhstan with ease. I am now a big advocate for the graduate development program and lead initiatives to bring more talent to the Eastern Europe region.

Amineh Ahmad – Senior Engineer, Project Controls

My career path with ArchTam started in 2015 as a graduate project controls engineer, where I supported design projects and had the opportunity to work with an amazing project manager who later became my mentor. The best career decision I’ve ever made was during my second year — I had a choice to continue on my current path or join the civil infrastructure end market. The idea of changing end markets was terrifying because it involved a transition from residential and healthcare to ports and bridges. I also had to consider the established relationship with my mentor. Ultimately, I decided to make the shift because of the new challenges that my new work profile and projects would bring. Making this change helped me gain confidence and increased my sense of accomplishment at work.

Bryony Martin – Regional Director and B+P UK&I Aviation Market Sector Leader

The best career decision I ever made was to get a mentor. My first mentor was a director working at ArchTam, but on a completely different team. Having someone to bounce ideas off of was hugely valuable; I was lucky that my mentor had faced many of the challenges that I was facing, was very successful in her career and was formidable in her approach to work. She challenged me to think differently about work and life! She has been one of the most influential and inspiring people in my career. Ever since building our relationship, I have been a huge advocate for the mentoring process, and I have learned to accept constructive feedback and use it to improve my skills and reflect on the impact I make.

Elke Watts – Operations Manager

The best career decision I’ve made has been to say “yes” to things outside my comfort zone. I joined ArchTam as an environmental scientist in 2014. After a few years managing projects and delivering technical work, I wanted to explore doing entirely different things. When opportunities to work on new projects within the business became available, I took the chance to branch out. The unknown can be perceived as risky, but by saying yes and opening myself up to new tasks, I secured an amazing job working with a team that I love. The ANZ Operational Services team has allowed me to work with a diverse group of people and on challenging projects — ultimately making me a very happy employee! Change is constant. Don’t be afraid of it. You don’t want to be the person whose heels are in the mud when the wagon starts pulling you in different directions.

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Driving inclusion via grassroots efforts in STEAM public education

Lorena Toffer — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 15:45:04 +0000

In recognition of International Women’s Day on March 8, and this year’s theme, #BalanceforBetter, we are featuring stories from our leaders and employees throughout the week of March 4, describing their own approach to workplace equality and honoring inclusion and diversity.

Believing in design as a catalyst for improving human experience, valued partnerships and mentoring, I am most proud of being the co-founder of CityLab High School— the first public school of its kind with a design focus in downtown Dallas.

It was approved by Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees in the fall of 2016, and today students engage with the city as their laboratory for learning, and develop critical thinking and creative solving skills via hands-on/real-world projects. This is all done in collaboration with organizations and professionals to prepare students for college and careers in architecture, urban planning and environmental science.

CityLab HS is the second pilot in the district with a goal of socioeconomic integration, via a lottery, to draw 50 percent low-income students and 50 percent middle-class/affluent students into the same classes. Simultaneously, CityLab HS is the first pilot in the district that offers geographic diversity by virtue of its location, with up to 30 percent of spots open to families outside of district boundaries, and attracting commuter families who work downtown. As its population continues to grow, the school will serve as an educational choice for families in this area.

About 40 percent of its student body is comprised of female students. This is already an improvement from what is typically seen in local schools that offer an architecture pathway, and the numbers continue to grow.

One of CityLab’s key components is to engage industry experts early on as mentors for students as an invaluable piece of their learning experience, and to build a strong network of advisors, advocates and collaborators.

ArchTam employees are active with the students and provide feedback on their projects, they also participate in the annual conference CityLab Summit! We’ve established “ArchTam Week,” which welcomes experts to present their current work via interactive presentations at CityLab.

We are looking forward to expanding these opportunities and celebrate Earth Day and CityLab’s Environmental Science Program this year, by inviting experts from its water and environmental groups in partnership with Big Thought.

As part for the founding team, my role included writing the original proposal, drafting the school’s curriculum and creating the CityLab Foundation, a nonprofit that enhances the school’s mission. I currently serve as a volunteer and mentor the students on a regular basis in partnership with the architecture instructor, co-founder Peter Goldstein.

Through my involvement in founding CityLab, I’ve been able to further my personal goal of increasing awareness of a career in design and to create opportunities for the next generation of leaders who are a reflection of the cultural, geographical and socio-economic diversity of North Texas —and a true reflection of the communities we serve.

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Inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers

Tyler Jones — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 16:03:29 +0000

My commitment to community involvement started with my mom and dad, who began stressing its importance when I was young. My mom drove me to high school, and during that long drive across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, she would take the time to remind me that “your father and I are making this commitment to ensure you get a college degree, find a good job, and then give back to the local community.”

Tyler Jones (right) presents a donation to STEM NOLA with Dr. Calvin Mackie on STEM Saturday.

I dedicate my personal time to STEM NOLA, an organization that introduces kids to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through STEM-based learning activities, specifically focusing on underserved communities across New Orleans. I found a connection with the executive director, Dr. Calvin Mackie, who is dedicated to making sure these students have a pathway to STEM careers. I personally take great joy in seeing students discover the world of STEM and develop skills that will benefit their careers, their lives and their communities. It’s exciting to help inspire and teach the next generation of engineers.

Students work on using Pi to decode an encrypted message during a STEM Saturday activity with Tyler Jones (right).

The person who inspired me most in my career is Thomas E. Rodriguez, currently a vice president of Brown and Caldwell’s Private Sector Enterprise and who leads a multi-disciplinary team of engineers, scientists and construction professionals to address private industry’s biggest environmental challenges. Thomas gave me my first opportunity in Philadelphia, PA, to step into the consulting community and taught me that developing long-term client relationships is the most important factor in supporting corporate growth and building a successful career.

I’m grateful that ArchTam has given me the opportunity to apply the values Thomas helped me develop from the beginning of my career. Recognizing the different strengths staff members bring, building multi-disciplinary teams, and seeing them deliver work that improves quality of life for local communities are great sources of satisfaction for me.

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