Internship Opportunities
2022-2023 Office of Physical Plant Internship Opportunities
Penn State’s Office of the Physical Plant (OPP) provides excellent facilities services for Penn State and is seeking student interns for fall 2022 and spring/summer 2023. If interested, you must post a cover letter and resume on the OPP Internship job posting located here.
Instructions for applying: In your cover letter, please indicate the specific area of interest to ensure your resume is considered. If areas of interest are not stated in your cover letter, you may not be considered for an internship position. Resumes and cover letters will be accepted through January 31, 2023.
During the fall and spring semesters, interns may work up to 20 hours per week. During the summer, interns are expected to work 40 hours per week. Work schedules, onsite location, and hours per week will be discussed with your supervisor. Compensation is $14/hour.
Questions: Contact the OPP Internship Committee at [email protected]
Project Management
The Project Management department oversees and coordinates the design and construction of all new construction, renovation, and major maintenance projects at the University Park campus. They also serve as the primary interface between customers, architects, engineers, and contractors. The Project Management intern position will be responsible for field and office work such as coordinating project resources and contractors, assisting with project documentation, and organization and assisting with project controls and budget management. It is preferred the candidate is pursuing a degree in an engineering or architecture related field. First, second, and third-year architecture or engineering students are encouraged to apply.
Design Services
Design Services provides professional architecture and engineering services in support of the development of Penn State’s building, site and infrastructure projects. These services are provided during all stages of design from initial feasibility studies through concept development and bid document stages as well as construction support. Services that are provided to Project Leaders and customers include Architectural Design, Civil Engineering, Mechanical / Plumbing Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Structural Engineering, Roof and Elevator design, Building Information Modeling (BIM) / Virtual Design support and Code Compliance support. Typical activities for an intern include field data collection, design support, AutoCAD / Revit production and construction administration support.
Specifically, we are seeking interns to support our civil engineering group and our electrical engineering group. Civil engineering projects primarily consist of campus beautification, roadway, parking, sidewalk, landscape / hardscape, stormwater management and utility projects at the University Park and Commonwealth Campuses. Skills and experience in the Microsoft Office suite of products and AutoCAD or Civil 3D is preferred. First, second, and third-year students in various programs as well as fourth-year Architectural Engineering students are encouraged to apply.
Engineering Services – Energy Program Team
The Office of Physical Plant's Energy Program Team (a part of Engineering Services) is seeking interns interested in energy management activities for the Spring 2023 and Summer 2023. Projects will include reviewing utility bills and meter readings, preparing and submitting benchmarking data for various reporting efforts, retrieving energy and utility information from databases, writing reports, and identifying energy savings opportunities. Candidates must be willing to do field work that includes, but is not limited to, visiting buildings to obtain physical data and performing or assisting with building energy audits that may require entrance to mechanical spaces. Candidates must have a background in engineering or science. Preference with core courses such as Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, HVAC, and Lighting a plus. Must have excellent computer skills. Candidate should also have the ability to communicate clearly, translate complex information for a variety of audiences, and perform various tasks independently.
Engineering Services – Electrical Engineering
The Office of Physical Plant's Electrical Engineering group (a part of Engineering Services) is accepting applications for student interns. Interns will be focused on support for the existing campus electrical utility networks, along with building electrical systems. Work duties will include but are not limited to: preparing documents for the electrical engineering team, updates and revisions to the University Design and Construction Standards, assisting troubleshooting of electrical systems, reviewing NEC/IEEE codes, drafting in AutoCAD, performing calculations, and assisting on-site building evaluations. Interns will work closely with the electrical engineering department and gain experience in the following sub-disciplines: building power and lighting, power transmission and distribution, utility underground distribution, micro-grids, combined heat and power plants, natural gas/diesel power generation and emergency backup power systems. Student interns are recommended to be in an engineering field, preferably electrical, electro-mechanical, architectural engineering or similar.
Architecture and Landscape Architecture
OPP’s division of Planning, Design, and Properties (PDP) may be seeking an architecture and/or landscape architecture intern for Summer 2023. The primary mission of this group is to promote wise stewardship of the University’s physical assets and provide responsive, high quality, and creative design solutions in support of the University’s mission. More information can be found at http://opp.psu.edu/about-opp/divisions/cpd. The successful candidate will assist staff with any/all facility projects on campus (major projects, renovations, historic restoration, etc.). Efforts may include attending meetings, site reconnaissance, firm and project-type research, and/or design support efforts using the Adobe Creative Suite, AutoCAD, SketchUp or similar programs. The candidate will be introduced to campus planning and site design through project-based work. Candidates must be pursuing a degree in Architecture or Landscape Architecture.
Work location will be University Park Campus, with the opportunity to visit various Commonwealth Campus locations while assisting PDP: University Architect, University Planner, and/or Landscape Architecture staff.
Link to PDP department and sub-department web pages:
https://www.opp.psu.edu/who-we-are/organizational-divisions/campus-planning-design
https://www.opp.psu.edu/sub-division/university-architect
https://www.opp.psu.edu/sub-division/campus-planning
SPACE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT – ENTERPRISE PROGRAMS
The Enterprise Programs unit of Space Planning and Management administrates multiple enterprise software systems to support the needs of facilities management and inform space management decisions. The Enterprise Programs unit is seeking an intern to assist with the administration of enterprise SaaS systems. Candidates must be enrolled in a four-year accredited undergraduate program. Computer Science and Engineering, Information Science and Technology, Business, Architectural Engineering, or Geography programs are preferred but not required.
Job duties to include:
- System configuration and administration
- Content updates and CMS administration
- Data discovery and entry - including site visits for measurements, features, layouts, and photographs