Hello, my name is Lucas Gerke and I am from Boonville, Missouri. This is my first internship with Alberici and I am currently going into my final semester at Missouri University of Science and Technology where I am studying Civil Engineering.
This summer I have been placed on the Kings Bay Dry Dock recapitalization project in southeast Georgia which includes the renovation of the exterior buildings, area, and the dry dock itself. I am working with Kienlen Constructors (an Alberici Enterprise) and our scope for the project includes self-perform work of the rehabilitation and erection of structural steel of the dry dock and the exterior buildings along with the demolition of the drydocks mechanical and plumbing systems. Some of my responsibilities from day to day are helping develop work plans for activities coming up in Phase B, going to coordination meetings with the Alberici-Mortenson Joint Venture, completing the daily log for our company, and helping out in any way I can.
The major milestone of Phase A was the completion of the construction of the temporary work platforms that will be placed in the top of the dry dock to access structural steel for repairs. Another milestone completed recently is the build of the MLC 650 crane which is used to lift the work platforms into position during Phase B.
I chose construction because I have been around this type of work my entire life. I had spent numerous hours building different projects on my family’s farm when I was deciding a career path and after completing those projects it was awesome to say that I had a part in building something really cool. Some of those projects include barns and an addition on my family’s home. I knew construction was right for me after working a couple of summers throughout school on a bridge construction crew and getting to interact with the people in the industry and once again getting to work on neat projects that I could say I had a part in building.
My favorite part of the internship has been the ability to learn from my co-workers as they have helped answer any questions I have about the construction industry. They have been very beneficial in helping me understand the self-perform side of construction as well as the steel erection scope of the project. It has also been great to travel and live outside of Missouri for the first time as I have been able to experience living in a new environment for an entire summer as well as meet tons of new people. Overall, the internship with Alberici has been a great experience where I have been able to learn a lot about the construction industry and have tons of new experiences.