Village interns focus on engineering, GIS

LOMBARD, Illinois— There's a lot of experience being gained in the Village of Lombard this summer. That experience is going to a number of Village interns who are working in the engineering field and geographical information systems (GIS.)

While the Public Works Department is keeping four of their own interns busy, Lombard's Community Development Department is holding its own with two young men working in the private engineering division and helping out with the GIS division of Community Development.

Jeff Reckamp and Brian Howard are two such Community Development interns dedicated to private engineering and GIS, respectively. The two are working this summer to gain experience in their field of study while on summer break from college.

Reckamp, a resident of Batavia, will be a junior at Bradley University. He is a civil engineering major and Lombard is his first internship which is related to his major. With Lombard for just a month, Reckamp has been working with Lombard's storm water detention program. He has also been inspecting ponds and underground detention systems, as well as other private engineering projects.

“I decided on the internship in Lombard because it's close to home and it provided an opportunity to get involved in many aspects of the public side of civil

engineering,” Reckamp stated.

Upon graduation, Reckamp's ideal job would be something with international flavor. “I love to travel and enjoy different cultures,” he said. Among his travels include trips to Peru, Spain and Costa Rica during high school with his Spanish class. “I'm looking to travel to London next year for a college class,” he added. “I am hoping that I will land a career in some discipline that complements civil engineering with some travel,” Reckamp added.

“I like that I am able to do my own thing and work independently,” Reckamp explained. “But I like that I am able to get involved in as many things as possible this summer, depending on what pops up,” he added.

Howard, who is volunteering in the GIS Division, will be a senior at Eastern Illinois University, majoring in Geography (specializing in spatial analysis) and minoring in Earth Science. Lombard's internship reputation is what brought him to working with Lombard's GIS Technician, Dan Price.

During his first month on the job, Howard has been working on GIS projects involving water line utilities and plat data for easements. “Anything that can get me future experience is certainly appreciated,” Howard added. “In working with Dan, we will do what needs to get done and I will make the most out of my time here,” he added.

Howard, a resident of Downers Grove, shared that he really “stumbled upon this field of study,” while finishing up his general education requirements at junior college. “A family friend's son was pursuing this area and I met with him to discuss it and I was really interested,” said Howard. “He also spoke highly of the internship opportunity afforded to him with the village, and that really got the ball rolling for me,” he added.

“We are fortunate that we have the opportunity to offer these internships to local college students,” said Nick Hatfield, Private Development Engineer for the Village of Lombard. “It is a win-win situation for both the students and the village,” he added.