Anthony Cabrey is working as a student intern with Campus Planning, Design and Construction this summer.
Between the end of the spring semester and the start of fall classes, the campus comes alive with a different kind of energy. Busy crews work to renovate, build up and beautify the University to prepare for the return of students.
With the work compressed into just a few short months, most students get the big reveal when they return in August.
Anthony Cabrey ’17 will see the transformation unfold throughout the summer as an intern with Campus Planning, Design and Construction (CPDC).
Cabrey ’17, who has been interning with CPDC for the past five months and continues as a summer intern, has found the behind-the-scenes work insightful, adding practical understanding to his classroom knowledge.
“This experience so far has opened my eyes to many other problems we can face in real-world operations,” says Cabrey, a mechanical engineering student in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “I believe that I will have a more open mind to design possibilities from what I have heard and seen at this position.”
He will get a true feel for the scope of the work—and all the complexities and details of a construction project—during 40-hour weeks.
“I couldn’t think of a better place to intern than for the University that I attend,” Cabrey says. “Every day I am able to understand how buildings I have sat in for three years are running, see what needs to be fixed and see the buildings be upgraded through work that I have done—to me that is very interesting.”
Jason Plumpton, senior project engineer with CPDC, says Cabrey has been assisting on a number of CPDC projects.
“Anthony provided design assistance for the Heroy Suite 333 renovations, assisting with ductwork layouts and sizing and piping layouts and performing most of the drafting for the project,” Plumpton says. “He is also following through on construction by making sure that the equipment and products that the mechanical contractor is using complies with the project specifications and drawings.”
While helping design the new ductwork for the third floor of Heroy Hall, Cabrey says he handed in the work for approval to a CPDC engineer who came back to him with several other things to consider.
“With this internship I have learned that there are many more factors to take into account than simply solving out a formula,” Cabrey says.
Cabrey is also making daily reviews of the construction progress of the Tennity Ice Pavilion refrigeration equipment replacement. He assisted with the steam pressure reducing station insulation survey, reviewing the condition of piping insulation in many of the academic buildings to compile a report, which will be used to develop an energy-saving insulation improvement project.
The experience has made Cabrey proud to be working on projects at the University.
“I enjoy improving the wellbeing of others, and walking around campus seeing projects that I have had a part in is really cool to me,” Cabrey says. “With CPDC I am able to say that I had a part of not only benefiting others, but benefiting my University.”
Through the internship, Plumpton hopes that Cabrey gets a good introduction to the field of consulting engineering and construction and develops an understanding of the components and systems needed to make safe, comfortable buildings.
“I also hope that he takes away the positive experience of seeing a project start from a concept that develops into a design and then is fully constructed and put into operation,” Plumpton says. “To me, this is one the most rewarding parts of the profession, and I hope he will experience this with his assignment on the Heroy Suite 333 renovations project.”
CPDC has had interns in previous summers but has significantly expanded the intern program this year. It has a number of student interns this summer, including from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, SUNY Cortland and Cornell.
Anthony Cabrey assists on a variety of projects while working as an intern with Campus Planning, Design and Construction.
