Name: Matthew Zedler

Where did you do your F/ASIP internship?

Dominion Resources (formerly Virginia Power)

I worked with the fossil & hydro group to understand how the control systems on several different power plants (coal, gas, heavy oil) were designed to work and then tested the units to see how they actually performed.  The project was rather challenging for me as a mechanical engineer who had never seen a control diagram before, but the experience of sitting in the central control room and watching the response of 100 MW power plants to the ramp up / ramp down signals we were sending them gave me much more respect for the intricacies of power generation.

What different search strategies did you use to find your internship?

I knew that I wanted to get an internship back in my hometown of Richmond, VA, not a hot spot for engineering or a place with many MIT alums. I tried cold-calling several different engineering firms listed in the phonebook, working through contacts my parents knew in engineering, and using the iCAN network in the greater VA area. However, the internship was finally secured by applying for a scholarship / internship opportunity on Dominion's web site. My advice to people looking would be to start early, be persistent, and try several different venues.

What made you decide to work there?

At the time, I wasn't as thrilled about being in the energy sector as I would be now. I knew that I wanted to learn what a mechanical engineer did on a regular day-to-day basis and find a job in my hometown. Dominion offered both of those opportunities as well as a scholarship, so they had me hooked.

What was the "coolest" thing tabout your internship?

The coolest thing about working for Dominion was going to see the power plants. My boss was extremely willing to give me as many learning experiences as possible, so he took me along to the Chesterfield coal and natural gas facility, the Possum Point #2 oil facility, the North Anna nuclear plant, and sent me out to a small hydroelectric dam in the western part of the state. He would walk me around and show me the equipment - the turbines, the inside of the fiery five-story boilers, the massive condensers, the coal crushers, the cooling towers - and explain how it worked. I had never heard of the Rankine or Brayton cycles before taking the internship, but I had a serious leg up for 2.005 and 2.006 (Thermo I & II) after having seen the insides of several different power plants.

Do you have any advice for future F/ASIP students?

Don't worry about getting the "dream" internship after your freshman summer. Be persistent but also understand that this summer is one where you will do much more learning than "work" at the company for which you are interning. Use the iCAN n etwork - call up alum; they will try to help you as much as possible.

In my own words...

"Make the most of the few months you have in an internship. Meet as many people working in different areas as you can (ask them nicely to go out to lunch - they may even treat if you are lucky! - people love to talk about themselves). Keep track of those contacts and keep them updated as you progress through your schooling and future career as you never know where you might end up and where your paths might again cross. Have fun."

Note: Matt currently works at GE Energy in Greenville, SC.