Job Shadow Program
If you have knowledge, let others light their candles at it.
-Margaret Fuller
Program Overview:
Burns & McDonnell is proud to offer a Job Shadow Program to high school and college-aged students. The Job Shadow
Program is dedicated to helping students explore a career in engineering, architecture, environmental science, drafting,
and/or construction management by walking through the work day as a “shadow” to a highly trained, successful
professional. The goal of this program is to introduce you into your particular field of interest by exposing you to the
typical workday – interacting with clients, co-workers, attending meetings and other appointments, learning about
current projects, and observing what a professional does in their typical workday. This is a great opportunity for you to
connect your education with the working world.
Objectives:
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To expose you to real world applications involving your talents, career interests and/or field of study.
To gain insight and understanding as to what professionals at Burns & McDonnell do on a daily basis, their daily
challenges, and requirements.
To get a head start in building relationships with leaders in the industry.
To network with professionals and get advice about your future career opportunities (internships, full-time
employment, etc.).
Dates and Times:
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Please choose a date during the 3rd full week of any month where you can commit either a ½ day or full day
½ day shadows run from either 9:00am – 12:00pm OR 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Full day shadows run from 9:00am – 2:00pm
If you need a letter to approve your absence from school, please let us know and we will get that to you.
Sample Agenda – Full Day
Engineering Job Shadow
9:00 – 9:30am
Introduction to Burns & McDonnell: Meet with HR for overview of what Burns & McDonnell is
all about.
9:30 – 10:30am
Meet with Engineer #1
10:30 – 11:30am
Meet with Engineer #2
11:30 – 1:00pm
Lunch at the Café with recent grads or Lunch Panel
1:00 – 2:00pm
Meet with Engineer #3
2:00 – 2:30pm
Wrap up with HR
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Sample Agenda – Half Day
Engineering Job Shadow
9:00 – 9:30am
Introduction to Burns & McDonnell: Meet with HR for brief history, tour and overview of what
Burns & McDonnell is all about.
9:30 – 10:30am
Meet with Engineer #1
10:30 – 11:30pm
Meet with Engineer #2
11:30 – 12:00pm
Wrap up with HR
--OR-1:00 – 1:30pm
Introduction to Burns & McDonnell: Meet with HR for brief history, tour and overview of what
Burns & McDonnell is all about.
1:30 – 2:30pm
Meet with Engineer #1
2:30 – 3:30pm
Meet with Engineer #2
3:30 – 4:00pm
Wrap up with HR
Careers at Burns & McDonnell
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ARCHITECT: An architect is a licensed professional with specialized skills who designs buildings and cityscapes,
and helps make real the unique vision of their clients and communities. Architecture is the imaginative blend of
art and science in the design of environments for people. People need places to eat, work, live and play.
Architects transform these needs into concepts and then develop the concepts into building images that can be
constructed by others. These projects can be as small as an entrance way and as large as an entire college
campus—and everything in between.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING: Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the design,
construction, and operation of machines and plants that perform chemical reactions to solve practical problems
or make useful products. Like all engineers, chemical engineers use math, physics, and economics to solve
technical problems. The difference between chemical engineers and other types of engineers is that they apply a
knowledge of chemistry in addition to other engineering disciplines. Chemical engineers sometimes are called
'universal engineers' because their scientific and technical mastery is so broad. What Do Chemical Engineers Do?
Some chemical engineers make designs and invent new processes. Some construct instruments and facilities.
Some plan and operate facilities. Chemical engineers have helped develop atomic science, polymers, paper,
dyes, drugs, plastics, fertilizers, foods, petrochemicals... pretty much everything. They devise ways to make
products from raw materials and ways to convert one material into another useful form. Chemical engineers can
make processes more cost effective or more environmentally friendly or more efficient. Here at Burns &
McDonnell Chemical Engineers work in the Energy Division, the Process & Industrial Division and Water Division.
CIVIL ENGINEERING: Civil Engineers design and supervise large construction projects, including roads, building,
airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and systems for water supply, sewage treatment and energy. It is one of the
oldest and most extensive branches of engineering. Civil engineering takes place on all levels: in the public
sector from municipal through to national governments, and in the private sector from individual homeowners
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through to international companies. In general, civil engineering is concerned with the overall interface of
human created fixed projects with the greater world. General civil engineers work closely with surveyors and
specialized civil engineers to fit and serve fixed projects within their given site, community and terrain by
designing grading, drainage, pavement, water supply, sewer service, electric and communications supply, and
land divisions. General engineers spend much of their time visiting project sites, developing community
consensus, and preparing construction plans. General civil engineering is also referred to as site engineering, a
branch of civil engineering that primarily focuses on converting a tract of land from one usage to another. Civil
engineers typically apply the principles of geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, environmental
engineering, transportation engineering and construction engineering to residential, commercial, industrial and
public works projects of all sizes and levels of construction.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING: Electric engineers are the professionals that deal with the study and application of
electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. They work on the development of new and advanced products
that are powered by electricity or produce electricity. They usually work on a project which can be anything
related to electricity like medical technology, gaming systems, cellular phones, robots, cars, airline navigation
systems. Electrical engineering has become a lucrative occupation since the late nineteenth century after the
commercialization of electric power supply. Now the branch includes various topics like electronics, power,
control systems, telecommunication and signal processing. Electrical engineers may work on a large scale
project, medium scale project or a small scale project. Burns & McDonnell mostly works on large scale projects
These projects include Power Generation and Transmission and Distribution (projects like generators,
transformers, protection devices, high power switches that work on solar, wind, geothermal or tidal sources).
Building power system designing is also done by electrical engineers. They work with the architects to plan the
power supply and communication distribution network in a building.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING: Environmental engineers use the principles of engineering, soil science,
biology, and chemistry to develop solutions to environmental problems. They are involved in efforts to improve
recycling, waste disposal, public health, and control of water and air pollution. Environmental engineers work in
a variety of settings because of the nature of the tasks they do. When they are working with other engineers and
urban and regional planners, environmental engineers are likely to be in offices. When they are carrying out
solutions through construction projects, they are likely to be at construction sites.
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING: Since these skills are required for virtually everything that is made, mechanical
engineering is perhaps the broadest and most diverse of engineering disciplines. Mechanical engineers play a
central role in such industries as automotive (from the car chassis to its every subsystem—engine, transmission,
sensors); aerospace (airplanes, aircraft engines, control systems for airplanes and spacecraft); biotechnology
(implants, prosthetic devices, fluidic systems for pharmaceutical industries); computers and electronics (disk
drives, printers, cooling systems, semiconductor tools); microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS (sensors,
actuators, micropower generation); energy conversion (gas turbines, wind turbines, solar energy, fuel cells);
environmental control (HVAC, air-conditioning, refrigeration, compressors); automation (robots, data and image
acquisition, recognition, control); manufacturing (machining, machine tools, prototyping, microfabrication).To
put it simply, mechanical engineering deals with anything that moves, including the human body!
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: Structural engineers are specialists in design, construction, repair, conversion
and conservation. They are concerned with all aspects of a structure and its stability. Structural engineers are a
key part of the design and construction team, working alongside civil engineers and architects. Together they
create all kinds of structures from houses, theatres, sports stadiums and hospitals to bridges, oil rigs and space
satellites. Every structure has to deal with the conditions in which it is built. Houses in Switzerland and Canada
will need a very strong roof structure to deal with continuous snow and ice loads. Bridges all around the world
will need to carry different kinds of crossing loads, be that people, cars or even high speed trains. It is a
structural engineer's job to consider all the possible factors. Structural engineers make a difference and shape
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the built environment. They are people who enjoy a challenge, responsibility and the excitement of an
innovative and varied career. Structural engineering presents both creative and technical challenges and
requires excellent problem solving skills. Structural engineers are important: everything we do, every day is
because of a structural engineer's work!
DRAFTING AND DESIGN: Drafters use software to convert the designs of engineers and architects into
technical drawings and plans. Workers in production and construction use these plans to build everything from
microchips to skyscrapers. There are Drafters and Designers in just about every division here at Burns &
McDonnell!
Job Shadow Information Sheet
Name: _________________________________________________ Date: ______________________
Address: ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Phone: _____________________________
Email: _______________________________________
Who Referred You: ___________________________________________________________________
Current School: ___________________________________________
Grade: __________________
Prospective School/University: __________________________________________________________
Prospective Field of Study: _____________________________________________________________
Career(s) You Want to Shadow: _________________________________________________________
Interested in: ½ Day:__________
Full Day: __________
Please list the shadow date of your choice. If possible, please indicate a few dates that you prefer:
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
What You Hope To Gain From This Experience: _____________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
What Are Your Hobbies: ______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
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