Four UMaine students complete Bath Iron Works internships
Four University of Maine students recently completed the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) summer internship program. Katie Arsenault, Parker Swanson, Max Moore and George Bradbury worked across the yard in various departments.
Arsenault is a senior majoring in management with concentrations in business information systems and international business. She interned with BIW’s Human Resources Department and focused on application and investigation interviews while analyzing the reasons why employees leave BIW. She also job shadowed in the Information Technology department.
“BIW taught me a lot this summer and gave me insight to what my future could look like in the maritime business world and in IT,” Arsenault says. “I enjoyed seeing what it takes behind the scenes to run a shipyard. BIW has given me the experience I needed to get ahead in my education.”
Swanson was an intern in the Hull Outfit Design Department, using the 3D and 2D modeling software CATIA while analyzing drawings. He is currently a senior majoring in engineering physics with a concentration in mechanical engineering and minoring in mathematics.
“This internship is a great introduction to the shipbuilding industry and I have had the opportunity to observe many parts in that long, complex, and in some cases, confidential process,” Swanson says. “In any given day, it isn’t abnormal for me to go from loading up a 3D model of the whole ship on my computer to walking through Hull 521 which is getting ready for sea trials.”
Moore is a junior majoring in mechanical engineering. He interned with the Operations Department helping to identify potential changes in the design and drawings for the ship’s deckhouse. He then worked with the Planning and Fabrication groups to realign fabrication work orders to be more cost effective.
Bradbury, a double major in finance and accounting, interned in the Estimating Department and spent his time assisting with providing estimates for different work in the shipyard using vendor quotes and Excel models. The estimates allow BIW to determine how much work can be taken on at a given time and provide prices to give the U.S. Navy.
Interns also completed group projects exploring process improvements within the company. Arsenault and Bradbury worked on updating the Temporary Service Plan used during ship’s completion by figuring out what shipbuilders need, like venting and power, and when and where they need it, streamlining the installation process for the future. Swanson and his group worked on creating a digital forum to enable employees to share information about events and personal activities. Moore and his group focused on displaying digital slides around the shipyard providing key safety information to help prevent on-site injuries and accidents.
General Dynamics is a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services in business aviation; ship construction and repair; land combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; and technology products and services. More information about General Dynamics Bath Iron Works can be found at gdbiw.com along with information about the internship program and other career development opportunities.