Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Sponsored Internship

10.07.2015 | HMMH |

By Paul Barbaro

Coming into the “real world” from being a college student can be a daunting task. The persistent fear of never being able to find a job that pertains to one’s interests and passions is always looming overhead. However, with countless internship positions available in the workforce it is possible to pursue the career path you would find to be the most suitable. Through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s internship program I was able to connect my passion of the environment and clean energy technologies to a real time position at HMMH.

The process of getting involved with the MassCEC’s internship program was very easy. I appreciated the simplicity which included; submitting your resume and credentials, where you lived and were willing to work, and the particular clean energy interests you had. I released all this information to the MassCEC who then paired me with HMMH because of their firm’s location relative to my home and their work in environmental services.

My time spent as HMMH was very beneficial to my development into a young professional in the environmental and clean energy services field. It has been my first experience having a desk job that requires a lot more of me than a typical part time position. I worked as an intern under the Climate and Energy group at the firm. Some of my responsibilities included researching and attending conferences on various different forms of renewable and/or clean sources of energy. In fact, my main project for the summer was to compose a database of all the large-scaled solar installations (above 1 MW) in Massachusetts. I was also tasked with using my knowledge of G.I.S technologies to compose solar feasibility maps for several different airports in the nation looking to foster clean, solar energy. For a project involving several airports in Rhode Island wanting to incorporate solar power, I was able to take a helicopter ride and view the airports from above with my supervisor. Another task asked of me conducting field work for noise insulation studies at T.F Green airport in Rhode Island. Lastly, I worked with my supervisor to release a memo to Nashville International Airport to help guide them to select a cleaner source of fuel to run their airport shuttle bus fleet off of.

At HMMH, I was able to truly sink my teeth into the clean energy realm. They gave me the tools and opportunities to follow my interests and gain valuable work experience. I cannot thank them and the MassCEC enough for this opportunity. I met amazing people through my time as a MassCEC sponsored intern and feel so much more confident making strides into the clean energy and environmental workforce.