Trautman Associates places a great deal of emphasis on the relationships we build, not only with our clients, but also with our team. We invest in our team and their professional development and continually watch for opportunities to enhance our staff with well-qualified college interns. That experience often proves valuable to both interns and mentors. Interns find affirmation that they’re on the right path and they have more skill than they think they have, both of which are confidence boosters. And even experienced mentors learn new things from their interns - often technology tips that are useful and make the job easier or end result better. This year, we’re fortunate to have four interns on staff:
Joe Rackl, Mechanical Engineering
Tashira Dumas, Architecture
Frank Wozniak, Electrical Engineering
Christian Farage, Mechanical Engineering
Joe Rackl will be a senior at the University at Buffalo this fall. His internship at Trautman Associates started on a part-time basis this past spring, but we were sure we wanted him to work with us full time this summer. Joe has been working closely with one of Trautman Associates’ mechanical engineers, John Corda, learning about and contributing to the energy modeling of Seneca Tower. John Daly, our director of mechanical/plumbing engineering, brought Joe on board and is serving as Joe’s mentor.
In his own words…
My time at Trautman Associates has exposed me to a larger view of the field of mechanical engineering and I’ve been able to increase my knowledge base considerably. Being a guy who really likes to be outdoors, I wondered what it would be like to work on a computer all day. But the project is interesting and there is always something different to do so, overall, it’s been a really great experience.
Tashira Dumas was our first intern to arrive on site this summer and she really hit the ground running. As a student at a technical college in Pennsylvania, Tashira had learned a lot about design software like Revit, but she didn’t have much field experience. Right off the bat, we took her to a couple of old buildings an helped her imagine how they could be re-used, and Suzanne Daddis, CSI, our project field supervisor, introduced her to field work. She may be a bit shy by nature, but she’s never hesitated to step up to whatever challenge we’ve put in front of her.
In her own words…
Although I attended college in Pennsylvania, I’m from Buffalo and really wanted an internship in my hometown. I took the initiative to research architectural firms in Buffalo, then worked with my college’s placement coordinator to reach out to Trautman Associates for an interview. This is my first internship, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but my goal was to see how much I could handle. Once I started working here, everyone was smiling and friendly, and the work I was given was meaningful and just the right amount of challenging. My time at Trautman has affirmed my goal of becoming a Registered Architect and I’m excited about taking the next steps toward that goal: earning my bachelor’s degree and completing graduate school.
Frank Wozniak is studying electrical engineering and will be a senior at the University at Buffalo this fall. He started his internship at Trautman Associates just after Memorial Day and jumped right into assisting with the design of fire alarm systems at Seneca Tower, one of the largest renovation projects going on in Buffalo this summer.
In his own words…
I was pleasantly surprised by the environment of collaboration at Trautman Associates and being treated like a professional from day one. Under mentorship with Marc Petryk, Trautman’s director of electrical engineering, I’m being assigned meaningful work that is giving me real-world experience. I’m really enjoying working at Trautman and this experience has definitely confirmed that I’m on the right path professionally.
Christian Farage is the “old timer” among the Trautman Associates interns. He started at Trautman as a mechanical engineering intern in the summer of 2016 during his sophomore year of college and has been back several times in between international adventures. In addition to annual mission trips to Mexico (where he served as an optician and translator!), last summer Christian spent ten weeks designing adaptable wings for drones used for crop dusting. He even has a patent pending for a specialized shoe! Stay tuned for more from Christian on that in the future…
In his own words…
I’ve been interning and working at Trautman Associates on and off for the past three years. During that time, I’ve worked other places too, but what stands out about Trautman Associates is their interdisciplinary approach to design and the relaxed yet professional environment. At Trautman, asking questions is encouraged and all members of the team are treated as important project contributors. Although I may not know exactly what path I’ll choose after graduation, I know my time at Trautman Associates has played an important role in shaping my future as an engineer, an inventor, and entrepreneur.
