For my practicum experience, I worked as a full time Project Management Intern with Consigli Construction on the MacDonough Hall Renovation Project at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The project was not simply a renovation in the ordinary sense. It involved work on a historic and highly visible institutional building whose continued function carries architectural, operational, and symbolic importance. That context shaped the entire practicum experience. From the beginning, it was clear that this was the kind of project in which construction management had to do more than move work forward efficiently. It also had to respect the character of an older building, respond to the expectations of a government client, and coordinate the practical realities of construction within a setting where quality, documentation, and accountability mattered at a high level. My practicum therefore placed me within the application of science and engineering in a setting where technical work, institutional responsibility, and historic preservation were constantly intersecting.
One of the most important things I came to understand during the internship was that historic renovation demands a different kind of discipline than work on a completely new building. On a project like MacDonough Hall, progress is not defined only by how quickly work advances. It is also defined by how carefully decisions are made, how existing conditions are documented, and how well the team balances modernization with preservation. Because my senior project manager specialized in historic preservation work, I was able to observe a professional approach shaped by patience, precision, and respect for the building itself. That left a strong impression on me. It showed me that project management on a historic site requires a broader view of responsibility. The work is not only about delivering a finished product, it is also about stewarding a structure that already has immense history, and great institutional value.
A typical day in the internship reflected that balance between field conditions and administrative control. Some days involved office based work such as submittals, RFIs, emails, document handling, and meeting support. Other days placed me more directly in the field, whether through site walks, progress documentation, punch list work, or helping move information and drawings to the people who needed them. Over time, a few responsibilities became especially meaningful because they gave me a clearer view of how a project is actually managed. One of these was the weekly 360-degree progress photography. At first, it seemed like straightforward documentation. As the summer went on, I understood that this work was part of a larger record of project development, existing conditions, and accountability. On a project involving renovation, preservation, and closeout, images were not simply visual updates. They were evidence of progress, reference points for coordination, and part of the broader discipline of documenting the life of the job. These pictures also would serve as evidence in court if their was a dispute over the work or contracted requirements.
Another area of responsibility that became especially important was my work related to closeout and punch list activities. During the later phase of the internship, I worked with field operations during walks involving QC and NAVFAC, helped document items that required correction, and took and distributed photographs showing what still needed to be addressed. This work sharpened my understanding of quality at the end of a project. Closeout is often described in simple terms, but on an active institutional renovation it is a period of intense scrutiny. Small issues matter because they represent whether the project has truly met its required standard. Participating in those walks and documenting outstanding items showed me that final project quality depends on sustained attention, clear communication, and the willingness to examine details carefully rather than assuming the hardest work has already been completed.
The most significant sustained responsibility I had near the end of the internship was the project’s eOMSI work, which gradually became one of my main tasks as the document was advanced toward submittal to NAVFAC. That responsibility stands out to me because it required a different kind of effort than more immediate field support. It demanded persistence, organization, and the ability to work through a document that represented long term operational value rather than short term task completion. In that sense, it taught me something important about project management itself. A successful project is not defined only by visible construction progress. It is also defined by the quality of the information handed over at the end. The eOMSI work gave me a much stronger appreciation for the administrative and operational afterlife of a building project. Long after visible construction ends, the documentation produced during closeout continues to shape how the facility is used, maintained, and understood.
The prompt asks what I learned by doing this work, and the most accurate answer is that I learned how much professional construction depends on disciplined coordination under real constraints. In engineering courses, problems are often presented with clear givens, defined unknowns, and a path toward solution. On a real jobsite, the work is more layered. Existing conditions may complicate planned work. Different teams operate with different priorities. Government oversight adds another level of rigor. Historic context narrows the margin for careless decisions. Through observation and participation, I came to see that project management is partly about solving technical problems, but even more fundamentally about creating the conditions in which technical work can succeed. Documentation, communication, and proper sequencing are not secondary to the project. They are the structure that allows the project to happen.
This experience also deepened my understanding of ideas that connect closely to the Science and Global Change program. The program emphasizes the relationship between scientific knowledge and the broader systems in which that knowledge operates. My practicum made that relationship concrete. The work at MacDonough Hall was shaped by engineering, materials, systems, and construction practice, but it was equally shaped by institutional needs, public responsibility, preservation priorities, and long term stewardship. That combination made the project a strong example of applied science within a larger social framework. I was able to see that technical work gains meaning through context. In this case, the context was a historic Naval Academy facility whose renovation required respect for the past as well as preparation for the future.
On a personal level, the practicum helped me better understand the kind of work I find most engaging. I learned that I am drawn to environments where technical knowledge is tied to coordination, responsibility, and visible progress. I also learned that I value work requiring attention to detail over a long period of time, especially when the work supports a larger goal beyond a single isolated task. At the same time, the internship clarified areas where I can continue to grow. More knowledge of construction systems, project delivery, and building documentation would make me stronger in similar roles in the future. If I could have prepared more deliberately beforehand, coursework or prior experience related to construction methods, building systems, or project management processes would have helped me contribute with greater confidence earlier in the internship.
The experience also shaped my academic and professional aspirations in a lasting way. It strengthened my interest in construction and project management, but more specifically, it gave me a serious appreciation for the discipline required in complex renovation work. Before the internship, I understood construction mostly in broad terms: coordination, execution, and technical problem solving. After working on MacDonough Hall, I see more clearly that renovation, especially on historic institutional buildings, carries a different kind of weight. It requires patience, judgment, and a respect for process that I had not fully appreciated before. That realization has made me more interested in the professional side of engineering and in project environments where technical work is inseparable from coordination, documentation, and stewardship.
Because this practicum took place within a larger team, it also taught me something about my own role in collaborative work. I found myself serving as a dependable support member whose value came from execution, adaptability, and willingness to handle both detailed documentation and field based tasks. That is a role I have often occupied in group settings, but here it carried greater importance because the consequences of inattention were real. I became more aware that strong teams are not built only through leadership at the top. They also depend on people who can be trusted to carry information accurately, observe carefully, and complete necessary work consistently. This experience made that lesson much more concrete for me.
I would recommend this opportunity to future Science and Global Change students, especially those interested in engineering, construction, infrastructure, or the applied side of technical work. It provided more than exposure to a jobsite. It offered insight into how institutions maintain important buildings, how preservation and modernization can coexist, and how project teams translate technical goals into completed work under demanding conditions. For students willing to pay close attention, it is the kind of experience that can sharpen both professional skills and intellectual perspective.
Overall, my practicum at Consigli Construction gave me a much more mature understanding of what project management means on a complex historic renovation. It taught me that good construction work is not defined only by what gets built, but also by how carefully the process is managed, documented, and carried through to completion. Most importantly, it helped me see engineering not as an isolated technical field, but as part of a larger professional practice that supports institutions, preserves important spaces, and connects present work to long term use and responsibility.