Central Susquehanna Valley Transportation Project bridge, Winfield, Pa.
It’s 1 a.m. on a balmy summer evening, and Tyler Keiser ’20 is at work 180 feet above the Susquehanna Valley. The civil engineering and management major from Elysburg, Pa., watches closely as builders pour concrete into a wood and steel frame, creating a cap atop the tallest support column of what will become the loftiest automobile bridge in central Pennsylvania. The night’s so clear that when he looks up, he can see the lights of the Bucknell campus shining four miles away.

What He Did:
Keiser spent his second summer interning with Trumbull Construction, the general construction contractor for the new 4,545 foot span over the Susquehanna River — part of the Central Susquehanna Valley Transportation Project that was decades in the making. His duties included ensuring that the 60,000 cubic yards of concrete supporting the roadway were poured correctly and in compliance with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation regulations.

What He Loved:
Keiser relished the opportunity to put the skills he’s learning in the classroom to work through his internship, which he found through a job and internship fair on campus. “When I’m driving home at the end of the day, I’m very happy to be a student at Bucknell,” he says. “The material I am learning in the classroom, the connections that I make with my professors, the labs and the experiences I am gaining, all of it has prepared me very well.” — Matt Hughes