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June 05, 2017
Thirty-Five Students Begin DDC College and Graduate Summer Internships
Commissioner Feniosky Peña-Mora of the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) today welcomed 35 students to the DDC’s 2017 College and Graduate Summer Internship program at an orientation breakfast at the agency’s Long Island City headquarters. Students also heard from Associate Commissioner Janice Stroughter, Deputy Commissioner Eric Macfarlane, Associate Commissioner Eric Boorstyn, Deputy Commissioner Kevin Donnelly, Deputy Commissioner David Varoli, and Deputy Commissioner Lee Llambelis, who each spoke about the work of their respective units.
The 10-week paid internship program targets students from around the world majoring in engineering, architecture, construction management, urban planning, and sustainability design, and will provide hands-on technical experience through specific field assignments and a mentoring relationship with senior level DDC technical staff. Students will take field trips to locations such as Broad Channel, Queens, where DDC’s Infrastructure Division is working to make the neighborhood more resilient and able to manage future storms. Students will meet with various members of DDC’s senior staff, and will also participate in a Community Service Day, where they will work in the field on various beautification and clean-up projects.
“DDC’s summer internship programs offer students the chance to gain valuable experience working side-by-side with some of the best architects, engineers, construction professionals in the world,” said Commissioner Peña-Mora. “With field assignments, site visits to ongoing DDC projects, and training seminars, students will learn first-hand how the City gets built, and will have experiences that will help them throughout their careers. We take great pride in passing down our knowledge to future generations.”
This year’s group of participating interns were selected from 838 applications and include 20 females and 15 males. Students in the program represent New York City schools including CUNY-College of Staten Island, NYC College of Technology, CUNY-City College, Manhattan College, SUNY-Syracuse, Cornell, NYU-Tandon, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Columbia University, SUNY-Delhi, Pratt Institute, New York Institute of Technology, and SUNY-Stony Brook. Interns also come from outside the City. This year’s program includes students from Wentworth Institute of Technology, University of Maryland, Pennsylvania State University, Case Western Reserve University, NYU-Abu Dhabi, George Washington University, Carnegie Mellon, North Carolina State University, and Duke University.
DDC student internship programs are conducted in conjunction with DDC’s STEAM education initiative. Commissioner Peña-Mora started STEAM in 2014 to establish a diverse and inclusive pipeline for New York City's youth to engage in the architecture, construction, and engineering industries. STEAM programs for students grade 6 - 12 include the Young Engineers Program and the ACE Mentor Program. Overall, DDC STEAM has served 1,500 students since its inception.
