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Senior Project Personal Statement

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I completed my senior project at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA). Through the course of the project I learned about the engineering division’s responsibilities within RTA and received the full picture of how a large construction project is built from beginning to end. I greatly benefited from this experience as it has increased my interest in the engineering field. The main objective of this project was to experience what a career in civil engineering would resemble. In order to achieve my goal of becoming familiar with the project development process and funding sources, I attended project meetings, visited active construction sites, and became familiar with engineering plans and drawings (both civil and architectural). In addition, I learned about project scheduling, oversight, and maintenance. I …show more content…

Positively, my experiences have assured me that the engineering field is one I want to pursue, regardless of what specific type I choose. Additionally, I was exposed to the diverse opportunities within civil engineering, including transit engineering, bridge engineering, environmental engineering, roadway design, and construction management. I appreciated the variety of paths and options that are available to follow in the future. For instance, I also shadowed a bridge engineer at RTA and was able to ride in a lift up to the viaduct bridge to observe maintenance occurring and learn about the inspection process. Notably, another experience I enjoyed was touring the rail shop. The behind the scenes look of how the trains run and the intricate electric systems that control the railway was intriguing. Conversely, the one negative I experienced in working within the public sector was the lack of funding and thus the extensive time required for projects to begin

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