My first impression of Carpenter Marty was, “Wow, this is serious engineering.” Seeing everyone collaborating on real transportation projects made me realize I was stepping into the professional world. It was both exciting and a little intimidating in the best way.

Honestly, almost everything I worked on was new to me. When I first started at Carpenter Marty, nearly every task and project introduced me to something I had never seen before. On the bridge side, I hadn’t yet taken my concrete or steel design courses, so concepts like designing stirrups, working with prestressed concrete box beams, and learning the bridge design process were completely new to me. Instead of waiting until I learned them in the classroom, I had the opportunity to see how they were applied in real engineering projects.

As I continued my internship, I also expanded into traffic design, where I learned how to develop Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) plans, roadway lighting plans, traffic signal designs, and sign plans. Each new project challenged me to learn something different, and every experience helped bridge the gap between what I was learning in school and what engineers do every day in practice.

One thing that surprised me most about working in transportation engineering was how much detail goes into every design. Even small decisions, such as sign placement or lighting locations, require careful consideration of safety standards, visibility, and coordination with other aspects of the project.

My coworkers trusted me with more responsibility while continuing to guide me through new tasks. They were always available to answer questions, review my work, and explain the reasoning behind design decisions, which helped me become more independent.

I’m especially proud of the signal and lighting design work I completed this summer. It was rewarding to contribute to real transportation projects and see how my work would help improve roadway safety and traffic operations.

My favorite part of the company culture is how supportive and collaborative everyone is. Even with more experience this summer, I always felt comfortable asking questions and learning from the engineers around me. I also enjoyed spending time with my coworkers both inside and outside the office. Team lunches and other activities helped strengthen relationships and made the workplace enjoyable.

This internship confirmed my interest in transportation engineering. Spending most of my time in traffic design gave me a better understanding of the field and showed me how much I enjoy designing infrastructure that has a direct impact on public safety.

I’ll take away stronger technical skills in traffic signal, lighting, and sign design, along with improved problem-solving, communication, and attention to detail. This experience also helped me become more confident working on real engineering projects.

If I could give advice to next year’s interns, it would be to be willing to ask questions and take on new challenges. Every project is an opportunity to learn, and the more involved you are, the more you’ll gain from the experience.

Overall, my internship at Carpenter Marty Transportation gave me valuable hands-on experience in traffic design while helping me grow into a more confident and capable future transportation engineer.

Ahlaam Mohammed

The Ohio State University

Class of 2026