August 06, 2024

Meet Alex Boyd, a senior studying chemical engineering. Boyd has always found the physical world fascinating and wanted to learn how it worked. Their interest in STEM brought them to Mizzou, but Boyd took a while to find chemical engineering.

“I changed my major four times while figuring out where I belonged but I eventually found my way into chemical engineering and am very happy here,” Boyd said. “The work I am doing in chemical engineering challenges me, and I feel fulfilled when I grasp it and put my technical skills into practice.”

This summer, Boyd is conducting an internship at Barr Engineering Co. in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We asked them a few questions about the experience.

Tell us about your internship at Barr Engineering Co. What’s your role and primary responsibility?

I am a process engineering intern. Barr’s company structure is a free market system, giving employees a lot of autonomy. Even as an intern, I don’t have a direct manager assigning tasks and I support the process engineering group just like an entry-level employee would.

As a consulting company, Barr’s work naturally has a lot of variety. I have worked on 12 projects involving graphite and rare earths mining, biomolecule and pharmaceutical manufacturing, battery recycling, air and water quality compliance, oil refinery compliance and energy management.

What’s a typical day like?

I am typically working on four to five projects at a time. The workload for each varies by the day or week, balancing out my hours and keeping each day unique. I have redlined process-flow and piping-and-instrumentation drawings for three different projects, helped to size sumps and tanks, worked with a vendor to size gravimetric cyclones, developed project task and deliverable tracking sheets, created and updated internal resource documents and written project documents including change orders, issue for bid documents and a technical memorandum.

How did Mizzou Engineering prepare you for this internship?

Mizzou Engineering has prepared me both technically and interpersonally. The chemical engineering faculty are not only technical experts, but they also design our program to prepare us to work collaboratively. We are organized into cohorts, encouraged to work and study together and given projects that bring us together. The department is a community that I am very proud of and has prepared me to be successful at Barr.

How did Mizzou Engineering Career Services assist you with securing or preparing for this internship?

Early on when I transferred into chemical engineering, they edited my resume through Handshake, where I later found my internship posting. Going to the career fairs and next-day interviews they organized gave me practice and confidence in my professionalism and interview skills.

They are also available to meet and help you through anything career-related. They helped guide me through interview preparation and offer negotiation.

What have you enjoyed most working at Barr so far?

I feel like the work I’ve done so far has been impactful. My work has been sent to clients, and I’ve even presented my work directly to clients. I feel like a valued member of the team and I’ve enjoyed working with the people at Barr. We all want each other to succeed. I’ve gotten exposure to multiple industries and have a more holistic understanding of projects from conception to completion.

I’ve also gained a greater understanding of client relationships. Some of our clients are really unique and it’s fun to learn about what they do and how we can help solve their problems.

What have you learned from your internship experience?

Working at a consulting firm and in a free market workplace, I’ve learned how to advocate for my interests. I set goals for my internship and shared them with others in my group, including members across our many offices, to set myself up to learn as much as possible in my interest areas this summer. Some specific things I’ve learned about are mining, wastewater treatment, air pollution control, contract writing, construction and preventative maintenance.

What advice would you give other students wanting to conduct an internship in this area?

My biggest piece of advice would be to take responsibility for your learning as an intern. Set and communicate goals with your manager or mentor. Keep them updated on the status of your goals and what they can do to help you achieve them. Those goals will continue to evolve, and communicating them with your mentors maximizes your opportunity for learning and experience.

Try new things and don’t be afraid to ask for help. The goal of an internship is to learn and grow, so don’t be afraid to get outside of your comfort zone—everyone involved wants you to succeed!

Thanks for sharing!

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