I graduated from the University of New Hampshire at Durham with a BS in Chemical Engineering in May 2021. Entering UNH, I was unsure of what I wanted to do with my degree. After working an internship on a project with a group of mostly contract engineers, I knew that this was exactly what I wanted to do after graduation.
Bothwell was the perfect way for me to become a contract engineer and after spending a year with Bothwell working in the biopharmaceutical industry I have already learned so much.
Working on a project has been a great way for me to meet many experienced people who are willing to share what they have learned over the years. I’ve learned so much by asking questions to the people I have met this past year, many of whom come from different backgrounds such as process, utilities, automation, CQV, and more. This has helped me gain a better understanding not only of how things are done, but why they are done a certain way. This has been crucial for me in my development as an engineer and has helped me to become more well-rounded and knowledgeable about the biopharmaceutical field.
I have already been able to touch on multiple different aspects of the current project I am working on, from process, to automation, to construction layout. This has allowed me to get a better understanding of how everything ties together. I have spent a lot of time handling P&IDs and learning how different pieces of equipment interact with each other from a process standpoint, as well as the purpose of their interactions. I have also learned about how the different pieces of equipment communicate with each other from an automation standpoint, which has helped me understand automation limitations that I would not have been aware of otherwise. I’ve worked on a small amount of construction layout planning which has helped me understand the importance of laying out equipment in such a way that both gives operators enough space to use the equipment and has the least amount of impact on personnel flow. Soon I will get to interact with physical equipment and understand more about the hands-on work that goes into CQV.
I chose Bothwell over other companies due to the opportunities they had available and because the Bothwell engineers I worked with stood out to me. I only ever heard great things about their people during my internship and I experienced this firsthand. It didn’t take long for me to notice that the Bothwell engineers were well respected, motivated people, who had developed strong relationships with the client team. It is well known that Bothwell is very selective with its hiring process, and I’m extremely grateful to be able to be a part of the team. I also knew that Bothwell works with multiple big name biotech, pharmaceutical, and cell and gene therapy companies in the New England area. This was perfect for me because I wanted to stay in the New England area and this would provide me opportunity to work with top companies in the industry.
Choosing to start off my career doing contract work is proving to have been a great way to learn about the different aspects of a project and how everything ties together, overall giving me a better understanding of the biopharmaceutical industry. I’ve touched on so much this past year and know I have a lot more coming my way. I’m excited to continue becoming more confident as an engineer as I continue to learn!
