Top Intern

Taylor Gawthorp ’16, a mechanical engineering major from Peoria, is the Smith Career Center’s 2016 Intern/Co-Op of the Year for the Caterpillar College of Engineering and Technology.

Gawthorp spent the summer of 2015 as an intern for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Efficiency and Pollution and Prevention Internship Program. After training with the IEPA, she audited water usage at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois. She then offered recommendations to save the campus 39 kilogallons (39 million gallons) of water, which would also reduce the college’s carbon footprint.

“I’m really passionate for sustainability and energy efficiency, so I thought working with the EPA would be best for my career,” she said. “It was an amazing experience. I learned things about sustainability and the industry I couldn’t learn in a classroom and had the time of my life as I discovered how deep my passion is for my career choice.”

Gawthorp measured water use at Moraine Valley’s buildings with several tools, developed models of usage, and after research, she presented water-saving recommendations. As a result, she was invited to share research at a Chicago panel on sustainability.

Additionally, the college implemented her recommendations before she left campus.

“It was most gratifying to know I made a positive impact on the college and helped advance their sustainability efforts,” Gawthorp said.