Olsson
We are Olsson, a nationally recognized, employee-owned engineering and design firm with a rich history of success. We’re here to improve communities by making them more sustainable, better connected, and more efficient. Simply put, we work to leave the world better than we found it.
Our most important asset is our people, and we are dedicated to an environment where we continue to learn, grow, and thrive. This entrepreneurial spirit has made us successful and will keep us successful. The result? Inspired people. Amazing designs. And projects with purpose. A win-win for all.
Click Here to visit Olsson’s Careers Page
For more information on Olsson’s Internship Program, please contact:
Carley Bryan via email at cbryan@olsson.com or phone (417) 885-1711
2020 SUMMER INTERNs
Christopher Killian
University of Oklahoma - Class of 2021
Civil Engineering major
My name is Christopher Killian and I am a Civil Engineering intern working with the road and bridge team at Olsson in the Tulsa office during the summer of 2020. I graduated from Bixby High School and attended Tulsa Community College for 2 years before transferring to The University of Oklahoma, where I have been studying civil engineering and plan on graduating in the fall of 2021. Working at Olsson has been a great experience for me because I gained more industry knowledge and saw how an engineering firm operates and designs their projects. The engineering classes at OU taught me the theories and concepts of engineering and I got to apply that knowledge to real world engineering projects that impact the community. During the summer, I learned how to read engineering plans and use the ODOT MicroStation software, which I had fever used before, to design and modify plans for road projects. I have had some experience using AutoCAD and Flow master from my classes at OU, but I never felt like computer design was a strong suit of mine. Working with the engineering team, I learned all about the process of designing projects using AutoCAD Civil 3D and ODOT MicroStation and I feel much more confident now in computer design and my over-all computer skills. One project in particular that I worked on this summer, was the re-designing of a main road in an industrial area of Oklahoma. The road had to be re-aligned and widening to accommodate the increased commercial traffic. Additionally, the drainage areas along the sides and under the road were re-designed to properly move water away from the area and help to prevent rainwater from pooling on the road. Throughout my internship, I have learned a great deal about the engineering industry, computer design, and the design process for projects. I am grateful to the Tulsa team and thankful to have had this opportunity to work for Olsson.
Delaney Keith
University of Oklahoma
Civil Engineering major
My name is Delaney Keith and I am currently attending the University of Oklahoma where I am pursuing my degree in Civil Engineering. This summer I had the privilege to work for Olsson in the Oklahoma City field office where I learned primarily about materials testing. I was able to apply my knowledge from prior classes and make connections about how testing is done in the real world. While working in the lab I got to see a variety of tests from moisture content to asphalt testing and watch how they were prepped and executed. Working as an intern for Olsson has allowed me to see many different operations and gain a better understanding of the process of each operation. Once I graduate, I hope to be involved in the geotechnical side of engineering and continue learning about this industry!
James Queen
University of Oklahoma
Environmental Engineering
I am James Queen and I currently attend OU, where I am finishing my B.S. in Environmental Engineering. This summer I have had the privilege to work at Olsson as a Water/Wastewater intern. We are tackling several projects this summer including a Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion, a wind farm that spans over 80 miles, several Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans for various jobsites, as well as some environmental compliance tasks.
Levi Kell
University of Oklahoma
Civil Engineering
Hi, my name is Levi Kell, and I am a student at the University of Oklahoma. I am from Ninnekah, Oklahoma but I attended school at Chickasha High School in Chickasha Oklahoma in Southwestern Oklahoma. I have always enjoyed challenges and problem solving. Upon attending OU I quickly discovered that I enjoy construction and roadway design. There was a big project in progress right by my rent house in Norman, and this pushed me to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering. I have a few more classes before graduating. A few classes that I have enjoyed are structural analysis and steel design. A few classes I have enjoyed are structural analysis and steel design, and I only have a few more classes before graduating. I worked previously as research assistant in the structural engineering laboratory at OU, where I learned about construction materials and the work that goes into each project.
This Summer I had the opportunity to work for Olsson on the Road and Bridge team as an Intern in their Oklahoma City office. While being at Olsson, I have quickly realized the differences there are from the classroom to the office. There is a sense of collaboration with accountability on each project. I have learned how an engineering firm functions and the processes that go into each project. This summer I was presented with the opportunity to work on site planning for Scooter’s Coffee Shops. It was exciting because I have a lot of freedom to let my mind work and see what I can come up with. I was also presented with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s bridge loadings. I have been working on finding the loading rates of the bridges on all the turnpikes in Oklahoma. While being presented with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s bridge loadings; I have had the opportunity to find the loading rates of all the bridges along the turnpikes in Oklahoma. This has been exciting to see what measures are taken to ensure the safety of the public. It is neat seeing the design plans that went into building many of the bridges around the state. I have had a useful and great experience that I could not replace. I have been trusted with projects that I never thought that I would have had the chance to do. I am very happy with how this summer has gone for my professional career. I do believe this internship has prepared me to be a better engineer in the future.
Ryan Henry
University of Oklahoma
Civil Engineering
My name is Ryan Henry and I am a Civil Engineering undergrad student at the University of Oklahoma. I started at Olsson during the summer of 2020 working on the Water/Wastewater team. My experience at Olsson has really taught me about how engineering projects are organized and delegated. In addition to this, I have really learned a lot regarding the different types of programs and software used for projects. During my time at Olsson, I primarily worked on an energy dissipator design based on the USBR Type VI Impact Basin. The purpose behind this was to remove the energy from a large amount of water in case of an emergency as to avoid creating a significant amount of erosion. I also assisted in various smaller tasks such as proofreading and using AutoCAD to create site exhibits. My internship has taught me a lot so far and I hope to continue that learning throughout my career as a Civil Engineer.
Spencer Krawczyk
Oklahoma State University
Civil Engineering
Hello, my name is Spencer Krawczyk, I am a senior at Oklahoma State University seeking a degree in Civil Engineering. I attended Kingwood High School in Houston, Texas where I obtained a desire to understand how buildings, roads, and bridges were built, which lead to me pursuing a career in Civil Engineering. I am excited to finish my final year at college as I believe I am ready to join the working world of Engineering.
The experience that I am engaging at Olsson has forged my abilities as a complex problem solver and has filled many of the questions I had about Civil Engineering. I currently oversee and work individually on road design, traffic flow, and the installation processes of roadways. I mainly work in MicroStation, which allows me to have the hands-on ability to alter and install turning lanes, conduits, light poles, medians, and much more that is essential in road design. Throughout the summer internship, I have been learning the importance of saving money and how a 401K is a very beneficial asset to having a sound retirement. I feel as if most companies do not express this enough, and Olsson has done an exceptional job at preparing their interns for a bright future in money management.
Even though the year 2020 has been halted by Covid-19, I really appreciate Olsson’s commitment to employing interns in a time of uncertainty. Working at Olsson has been a great experience; the employees make me feel as if I am a part of the team. They are always willing to help, but also critique my work, which has taught me the correct way to perform work related tasks.
Thandolwenkosi Mpofu
University of Oklahoma
Civil Engineering
My name is Thandolwenkosi Mpofu. I am an international student from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. I am a senior majoring in Civil Engineering, with a minor in Economics at the University of Oklahoma. I graduated from High School with an International Baccalaureate Diploma from the United World College-USA, a small International school in Montezuma, New Mexico. My passion for Civil Engineering began when I was about 14 years old, after I decided I wanted to help improve roads and the rest of the transportation sector in my community. While at college, I have been a member and the Vice President of the Transportation Leadership Council (TLC) Chapter at the University of Oklahoma, which is an organization under the Southern Plains Transportation Center. In December 2019, I was part of two teams which competed in the Texas Asphalt Pavement Associations competition. There my team created an asphalt pavement, which was tested for rutting, friction and loading strength. Outside class, I love to play basketball and flag football.
This summer, I have the opportunity to intern with Olsson Engineering firm as a road/bridge engineer. Olsson is one of the partners involved in the TRIP program with the Southern Plains Transportation Center, which offers internships to college students. During this internship, my role is primarily to assist fulltime employees’ by completing tasks for projects. These tasks range from office work, to site visits. While working to complete these tasks, I have been learning how to effectively implement Computer Aided Designs using AutoCAD Civil 3D and MicroStation. Before using this software on projects, we attended training sessions which taught us how to use them, and ensured we produce high quality work.
So far, I have completed two projects On AutoCAD Civil 3D. I completed traffic control work for the Hillcrest Drive reconstruction in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. For this project, I was responsible for inputting and labelling traffic reports, with the correct signage. The completion of this project required tremendous team effort. The original CAD drawings for the roadways were completed by the surveying team, and my team’s lead engineer laid out the plans for what modifications were necessary to maintain traffic movement during the reconstruction. My role was to complete a checklist of the modifications, which included putting detour signs, to reroute the traffic and constructions zone signs in work areas.
I also completed the Port of Catoosa Signing and Striping project. The CAD work for this project was similar to the first project. The difference was that, on the Catoosa project, we inputted line work like stop signs, railroad crossings and workstation locations on the project plans. I have also had the privilege to attend a project bid practice presentation where I learned how to deliver project winning presentations. I also had the opportunity to go to a site in Elgin, Oklahoma to take pictures which were to be included in future presentations. During these projects, I learned a lot about the specific role civil engineers play in order to maintain the movement of traffic in work zones, traffic control procedures, and standards from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
Currently, I am working with the roadway design team to prepare MicroStation drawings for 140th Street and May Avenue, and May and Memorial Avenue, which are to be included in a project proposal. In these drawings, my role is to make the outline of the intersections, create the striping for new turning lanes and cross walks, and to design wheelchair ramps on the crossing areas.