How mechanical engineering major Cordell Portwood made the most of his internship during COVID-19

Written byElizabeth Rose-Arcuri

鈥淚 was a kid in a candy store, from a mechanical engineering side. I was really lucky to be able to see all of that equipment opened up, learning about those large rotating pieces of equipment that kept the plant up and running.鈥

Cordell Portwood
Major
Mechanical Engineering
Hometown
Baton Rouge, La.

Where I'm From

I鈥檓 from Baton Rouge, where a family member suggested I apply for an internship at BASF North America.

Where I Am

I鈥檓 majoring in mechanical engineering and staying open to other learning opportunities.

Where I'm Going

I鈥檓 going to work in plants, focusing on maintenance engineering and reliability for rotating equipment. 

Mechanical engineering major Cordell Portwood spent his summer learning about the plant turnaround process as an intern at BASF 鈥 an 鈥渋nvaluable鈥 opportunity that gave him a deep look into plant operations.

A Rare Internship Experience

During his internship, Cordell shadowed experts to learn about the pumps and assist with the turnaround for the acetylene and formic acid plants at the . The turnaround included shutting the acetylene and formic acid plants for inspection, cleaning, and repairs. 

鈥淢y favorite part was just being able to see the equipment opened up, because it鈥檚 such a rarity. It only happens once every four years,鈥 Cordell said. 鈥淎nd being able to have an opportunity 鈥 as a student 鈥 to go in and be a part of the rebuild discussions and the decision-making process is just invaluable. 

鈥淚 was a kid in a candy store, from a mechanical engineering side,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 was really lucky to be able to see all of that equipment opened up, learning about those large rotating pieces of equipment that kept the plant up and running.鈥

Cordell worked closely with the project's technical expert and the liaison between the operations and the technical side of the turnaround. 

鈥淏eing able to bounce ideas and asking questions of the guru of the plant was fantastic,鈥 Cordell said. 

The Challenges of Being an Intern During COVID-19

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting nearly every workplace in the country, Cordell was still able to get in-person and hands-on experience, thanks to BASF鈥檚 safety measures and commitment to the internship experience. 

鈥淏ASF did a fantastic job of keeping their employees safe, making sure the plants kept running as safely as they could, and everything could continue as normal as possible,鈥 Cordell said. 鈥淏ecause they did that, it allowed me to stay on the site and really get the most out of my time.鈥

When he wasn鈥檛 on site and learning about the equipment, Cordell worked remotely to create a database of spare and interchangeable parts for the pumps. His work helped minimize the number of parts BASF needs to keep on site, as well as improve efficiency and turnaround for pump repairs. 

In addition to his practical knowledge, Cordell got valuable experience working in a professional environment. 

鈥淵ou get to talk to so many different people from so many different backgrounds. You get to learn the soft skills of working in a true job environment in industry, and you鈥檙e able to learn the technical knowledge that you鈥檙e not able to learn from a textbook,鈥 he said. 

鈥淯L Lafayette does a fantastic job with their engineering curriculum, but there are some things you can鈥檛 learn from a textbook,鈥 he explained. 鈥淵ou need to learn them in the field being mentored by someone who鈥檚 been in the field for a very long time. You need to see the equipment, and that experience just being comfortable in that environment is 100% worth it and valuable.鈥

And, in some ways, the COVID-19 pandemic gave Cordell a professional advantage.

鈥淚鈥檓 able to learn where the industry is going before it gets there, because it鈥檚 a lot of those online meetings, working from home,鈥 he said. 鈥淗ow do you communicate with people working from home and people working in the office? How do you do certain things when you need to be at the plant but you can't?鈥

Gaining an Advantage from Sports

Cordell is the president and captain of UL Lafayette鈥檚 rugby team, a role that prepared him for his internships in unexpected ways. 

鈥淭here鈥檚 always going to be a curveball, there鈥檚 always going to be something unexpected, whether that鈥檚 in a rugby game or in industry. There鈥檚 something that will go wrong and you have to work with the people around you to solve or mitigate that problem,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat team aspect is a fantastic learning experience and it definitely translates to the real world.鈥

And his leadership role with the rugby team also taught him how to navigate the administrative side of an organization, from completing paperwork to conducting meetings 鈥 鈥渟tuff you鈥檙e kind of expected to know but you鈥檙e never taught,鈥 he explained. 

Using His Experience in School and Career

Cordell鈥檚 summer internship during the turnaround process 鈥 combined with his previous BASF internship in wastewater and utilities and a semester-long co-op at Citgo 鈥 are valuable for his immediate future in the mechanical engineering program and his long-term future as a professional mechanical engineer.

鈥淲henever you鈥檙e in industry, you have an opportunity to learn things that aren鈥檛 presented in a textbook,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 interesting when you learn the overall ideas and theories about certain topics in industry, and then you go and learn about them in your next class 鈥 it makes it that much more interesting and exciting. It鈥檚 that back-and-forth training.鈥 

After graduation, Cordell plans to work in plants, particularly on maintenance engineering and reliability for rotating equipment. 

鈥淚 really do enjoy the plant setting. It鈥檚 pretty fast-paced. It鈥檚 ever-changing,鈥 he said. 鈥淭here are problems that come up all the time, but with those problems you鈥檙e also able to make solutions and be able to see the tangible results of your hard work.鈥

Learn more about the mechanical engineering program at UL Lafayette
 

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