Tyler Corum is a mechanical engineering major who spent summer 2020 on a co-op in Nashville. He wrote about his experience below.
“I have spent this summer working as an intern with Messer Construction Company within their Building Systems Department. The project I was assigned to this summer was Messer’s Renovation & Satellite Plant Expansion at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College located Nashville. In this project, two existing buildings have been renovated, a new building has been built connecting these buildings, the satellite plant supplying water for HVAC equipment has been expanded, and 13 existing buildings have been converted from steam to a hot water system.
My role in this project has been to inspect the installation of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection equipment. I have also assisted in the start-up of mechanical systems in these buildings including a dedicated outside air unit, variable refrigerant volume units, and steam to hot water heat exchangers.
My experience with Messer Construction has given me the opportunity to better understand mechanical engineering by seeing concepts I have learned in the classroom applied directly in the field. Subjects like thermodynamics and fluid mechanics are applied countless places in construction and equipment. Learning to recognize and understand how these mechanical engineering concepts are used in the field has helped me to better understand these topics in the classroom.”