During my summer internship at Burnham RNG, I worked as part of the process engineering team on several individual and collaborative projects. The focus of my internship was to provide the entire mass balance for any given waste-to-renewable natural gas (RNG) project based on preliminary, first-hand information and help improve gas composition and nutrient management understanding, in order to assist in project selection and origination. It will also provide quick, preliminary engineering calculations for a given project helping speed up the design phase. The worksheet can be further refined based on project-specific information. In addition, I also participated in and contributed to various day-to-day business activities, and worked on several side projects that supported the company’s workload and helped provide valuable engineering insights. I worked on several side projects that supported the company’s workload and helped provide valuable engineering insights.

The company’s mission is to focus on efforts to turn waste into valuable farming resources within the dairy and food production industries. Burnham manages and reuses farm waste and wastewater and transforms it into clean natural gas and high-value soil additives that enhance sustainability and profitability.

The technical and academic skills that I developed while pursuing my MS in chemical engineering at Columbia perfectly aligned with my internship role. The process design and engineering knowledge gained from courses like Advanced Chemical Kinetics, Mechanisms of Transport, and Process Safety, as well as other project and research work, translated flawlessly to my internship project, helping me brainstorm executable solutions to complex industry-level problems, and putting my learning, problem-solving and analytical skills to practice.

A challenge I faced during the internship was having to juggle multiple tasks. This, however, also proved to be a wonderful opportunity for me to learn management skills. When assigned multiple projects to work on at once, I initially felt scattered and overwhelmed. However, over the course of my internship, learning to prioritize tasks and clarifying what is expected of me certainly helped me manage my time effectively and deliver quality results. Another challenge I faced was dealing with (excess or lack of) data. Collaborating with my supervisor as well as others on the team was key in helping me navigate such situations. It also helped me strengthen my interpersonal skills in the workspace. Being a soft-spoken person, being placed in situations where I had to lead and reach out to prospective stakeholders or present solutions to the team internally was also crucial in helping me develop professionally.

Overall, my internship at Burnham RNG was a wonderful learning experience. The opportunity to work at a startup and the prospect of being mentored by a senior process engineer and VP of engineering and operations at the outset proved invaluable in executing my day-to-day activities. Led by professionals with decades of bioenergy experience, Burnham combines entrepreneurial innovation and flexibility with a commitment to operational excellence. Working alongside these seasoned professionals across multiple disciplines was simply incredible. The chance to build projects from the grassroots level and play an active role in contributing toward sustainable development was in perfect alignment with my career goals and proved to be a great platform to put my academic learning to practice.