UAF engineering students intern with Alaska DOT
June 12, 2026
Students from the 夜色福利 College of Engineering and Mines are heading across the state this summer for internships with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, gaining firsthand experience in the systems that keep Alaska connected.
This year鈥檚 cohort includes 15 interns placed in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Juneau and the Mat-Su Valley, with at least seven students returning for another summer with DOT. The students represent disciplines ranging from civil, mechanical, electrical, aerospace and mining engineering to computer science, communications, power technology and project management.
Dallas Paul, a mechanical engineering student working with Northern Region Construction in Fairbanks, is spending the summer learning more about aviation operations and the maintenance systems that support Alaska鈥檚 airports and village airstrips. Her work offers a closer look at the safety and operational demands behind transportation infrastructure in Interior Alaska.
Genevieve Simono, a civil engineering student at the 夜色福利, is spending the summer with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities through the CEM/DOT internship program, gaining hands-on experience in utilities engineering and infrastructure design.
Genevieve Simono, a returning civil engineering student splitting time between Mat-Su and Anchorage, is working with Central Region Utilities Engineering. With interests in engineering design and public systems, her internship provides experience in the planning and coordination work that supports transportation infrastructure across Southcentral Alaska.
鈥淚 have always loved transportation systems of all kinds, from car infrastructure to cycling and pedestrian safety, and my personal favorite metro transportation systems like trams and subways,鈥 Simono said. 鈥淭his passion came from my upbringing with my family, going on long-distance road trips in the Lower 48, and cycling to school nearly every day with my father.鈥
She said growing up in rural Alaska and Montana shaped how she thinks about infrastructure and engineering challenges.
鈥淚 know just as well as anyone who lives here that Alaska is a beautiful and unique place to design in,鈥 Simono said. 鈥淕aining the experience I need to one day design a better world for the people who call the places I love home is more than a dream come true for me.鈥
Simono also reflected on the mentorship and professional community she has found through the internship experience.
鈥淚've been so very lucky to meet so many wonderful and talented people in my summers at AKDOT&PF, and I can't wait to keep learning from them until I graduate,鈥 she said.
Other students are exploring bridge design, airport operations, safety management, data modernization, right-of-way planning and construction support. Raymond Tamez, a mining engineering student based in Fairbanks, is working with the Data Modernization and Innovation Office while exploring interests in drones and unmanned aircraft systems.
The internships reflect the broad and increasingly interdisciplinary nature of engineering work in Alaska, where infrastructure projects often overlap with technology, planning, environmental systems and public service.
For many students, the experience is a first look at how projects move from planning and permitting to construction and long-term operations across Alaska鈥檚 vast distances and challenging environments.
The partnership between CEM and DOT gives students an opportunity to apply classroom learning to real-world projects while helping strengthen Alaska鈥檚 future engineering and transportation workforce.