A college student from Powell is nearly done with a second summer internship at Dominion Energy, an experience he said is preparing him for an energy career.
Daniel Blaine, an Olentangy Liberty High School graduate studying Petroleum Engineering at Marietta College, said Friday that he originally heard about the internship program in 2017 when Dominion visited his school. He applied and was accepted into the program the following year.
Blaine said at his internship with the gas storage department, he does fieldwork like travelling to well locations and office work like monitoring natural gas storage.
“There’s a lot I like about it,” Blaine said. “Being able to be in the office and be in the field gives me more opportunities to develop skills. I think the experience has helped me, and I could possibly grow this into a career.”
Blaine, an incoming senior, said he enrolled in the summer internship program again this year and will be completing his second term next month. Blaine said this year he contributed to projects and helped do research into the best delivery methods for natural gas that helped give Dominion engineers ideas for future projects.
Dominion Energy reports that its paid internship program employs more than 250 college students every year from 70 schools in 22 states. Dominion reports that during the three-month program, interns are introduced to a variety of operational components, including geological services, natural gas storage, interstate pipeline systems, gas control, pipeline integrity, environmental conservation, innovation and technology. In addition, students are mentored in office etiquette, safety standards and professional development.
“It’s helped me with networking and building relationships,” Blaine said. “It’s helped me polish my learning. I experienced things in the field that you wouldn’t get in a classroom.”
