Dr. Danny Xiao, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville received the opportunity to learn firsthand about the inner workings of being an engineer in the private sector, through a faculty internship with Strand Associates, Inc.® in Madison, Wisconsin. During his full-time internship this summer, Xiao was assigned to assist with several projects that cover a wide range of transportation engineering. These projects included the East-West Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Madison, the Flex Lane project on the Madison Beltline, the I-39/90/94 Study between Madison and Wisconsin Dells, the US 51 Corridor Improvement project between Stoughton and McFarland and the West Court Street Safety Improvement project in Janesville. Xiao teaches courses in transportation engineering and construction materials and previously worked for the Arkansas Department of Transportation and Louisiana Transportation Research Center prior to joining UW-Platteville.
“UW-Platteville is known for its personal, hands-on, and teaching-focused education,” said Xiao. “Ninety percent of my students enter the industry after graduation, most often in the private sector. Since I went directly from undergraduate to graduate school, I did not have the chance to work in the private sector. As soon as I started my job at UW-Platteville, I wanted to do a faculty internship.”
Throughout the years, there’s been a long-standing partnership between UW-Platteville and Strand Associates. Xiao approached the company to see if he could conduct an internship over the summer. Xiao submitted his spring semester grades and embarked on his internship which ran from May 24-Aug 12.
“I asked Strand Associates to treat me like a regular intern. I started with curb ramp designs,” Xiao explained. “Doing the very detailed designs, you appreciate how the homework and small projects we do in class are being used in real life. It gives me the full picture of how I should prepare homework, quizzes and small projects for my classes to prepare my students with a solid foundation.”
Xiao joined UW-Platteville in 2015 and has watched his students become successful engineers, however a group of his former students weren’t expecting to see him in the hallways of Strand Associates.
“My former students were shocked to see me. We had a Pioneers reunion,” he said. “My former students have more knowledge in designing transportation infrastructure than me now. I asked them questions. I feel happy that they know more than I do, it means they’re learning. They are doing great, working on a lot of projects and many are taking the responsibility of leading the projects. I’m proud and happy for them.”
Xiao described his internship as rewarding. He said he’s looking forward to adapting his new set of experiences into his courses.
“I always bring real world projects into the classroom. Students can connect to real life and see how transportation engineering is applied,” said Xiao. “We teach our engineering students knowledge, but knowledge is limitless. Therefore, we focus more on the training of engineering mindset, problem-solving skills and lifelong learning.”
Xiao emphasized how thankful he is to Strand Associates for this faculty internship experience. As fall semester gets under way, Xiao is encouraging his students to participate in internships and gain industry experience.
“Hopefully, I can show my students, by my example, to keep learning.” he said. “When you solve a problem, no matter how big or small, that is the joy of engineering.”