I’m going to be doing an internship at AlphaTRAC headquarters in Denver, Colorado. At AlphaTRAC, their main goal is to develop digital training software that helps train professionals in the field of Hazmat and Fire management before they actually use what they’ve learned, in the real world. What AlphaTRAC’s software does is create walk-through scenarios in which the trainees make decisions, and these exercises are often times, so the trainees try to make their best times, and may even compare times to those of other trainees, giving this training software a competitive touch, perhaps even helping make the exercises more enjoyable and worthwhile.
AlphaTRAC’s software, “AlphaACT” is the software that allows trainees to go through the walkthrough scenarios that deal with fires, spills and other Hazmat emergencies including counter-terrorism scenarios. This was one of the cooler features, in my opinion, about AlphaACT and AlphaTRAC as a whole. All of this training software has recently been developed, and AlphaTRAC is still working to spread the software to different cities and organizations, in hopes to become connected in several different ways to the community of emergency dispatch as a whole.
My mentor is Heather Hodgin, and she is the Research and Development Director, as well as the Financial Manager at AlphaTRAC. She has had over 13 years of experience as a technical team leader and seven years of experience as a project manager for the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Defense. On top of all of that, she leads the training development program at AlphaTRAC. She has the best understanding of what AlphaTRAC has to offer, so I am hoping that she will help me understand whether or not this may be a field for career in my future. In addition, I know she has a great understanding of the software production, so I’m hoping she can help me understand how to help program some of the software, and everything else AlphaTRAC is all about.
Although an internship may not have the greatest impact on my academics, but I’m sure that an internship at AlphaTRAC will help me develop a deeper understanding of chemistry, as hazmat is all about chemicals. Personally, I hope that this internship will help me realize, one way or another, whether or not this is something I want to be a big part of my future. I’m not sure I have any career goals set yet in this field, although emergency dispatch definitely interests me a lot. I hope that an internship in the field will help me make decisions like that in the future.
On a daily basis, there is a lot I can be doing at AlphaTRAC. On day one or two, I think I’m going to try out some of their training software. They will give me a login so that I can access this software. When I take the test, it will help AlphaTRAC, because they can use my first results to get an idea about what an inexperienced trainee may score on certain scenarios. They can change and develop their software, using my results as a baseline, to make the software more suitable for someone with less/more training in the field. I will also be allowed to do things like add certain graphics or other elements to the decisions course training. Toward the end of my three weeks, I hope to try the software again. This will let me gauge my personal growth, and AlphaTRAC will be able to see what kind of progress I have made, as well. I will be testing the software periodically, so my end-of-internship results will help AlphaTRAC understand how effective the software is. In addition to testing and formatting the software, I may be an advocate for high schoolers, and build connections between the world of emergency dispatch and adolescents. I may, if possible, also help develop software alike to AlphaACT that is more suitable for high schoolers, further opening that world up to them.
I don’t need too much knowledge going in to AlphaTRAC, but I did take a Hazmat operations class with my dad a while ago, so I will make them aware of that before I begin testing their software. To complete my project, all I really need to do, I think, is to repetitively try out the software, keep track of and record what elements I add to the AlphaTRAC software on my LINK DP, and help around the office at AlphaTRAC HQ however else I can. By the end of my project, I will be able to present what I have accomplished with AlphaTRAC, and possibly even do a walkthrough of the crisis training software so everyone that sees me exhibit will have an actual understanding about what the field of Hazmat and fire crisis aversion is all about.
Some obstacles I have encountered along my journey of finding an internship include finding someone who was willing to offer me an internship. I had tried with the EPA, and this was probably the most interesting obstacle I have faced. I had emailed someone working for the EPA about getting an internship, and everything seemed promising, but then the government shutdown happened. This threw everything off that I had with the EPA, because being that the EPA wasn’t earning any money, and getting a background check requires money, I was denied an internship, and had to move on to something else. Luckily, once I was taken in to AlphaTRAC, everything was easy sailing. I had gone in with my dad, who was meeting with the Marketing Manager, Jonathan Mackintosh, and I was able to talk with him, and I got an internship set up pretty soon after that.
I’m a little stressed out about the internship as a whole, but above that, I have a definite sense of excitement. I think one of the biggest things that’s going to prove challenging for me is acquainting myself with everyone at the office, and making connections with them. I’m a young person from a small town, and I understand these people are all about business, so I will have to adapt to the office setting, and challenge myself to make the best out of it. So, all in all, I’m feeling pretty good about it. One thing I’m not looking forward to, however, is the traffic.
AlphaTRAC’s software, “AlphaACT” is the software that allows trainees to go through the walkthrough scenarios that deal with fires, spills and other Hazmat emergencies including counter-terrorism scenarios. This was one of the cooler features, in my opinion, about AlphaACT and AlphaTRAC as a whole. All of this training software has recently been developed, and AlphaTRAC is still working to spread the software to different cities and organizations, in hopes to become connected in several different ways to the community of emergency dispatch as a whole.
My mentor is Heather Hodgin, and she is the Research and Development Director, as well as the Financial Manager at AlphaTRAC. She has had over 13 years of experience as a technical team leader and seven years of experience as a project manager for the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Defense. On top of all of that, she leads the training development program at AlphaTRAC. She has the best understanding of what AlphaTRAC has to offer, so I am hoping that she will help me understand whether or not this may be a field for career in my future. In addition, I know she has a great understanding of the software production, so I’m hoping she can help me understand how to help program some of the software, and everything else AlphaTRAC is all about.
Although an internship may not have the greatest impact on my academics, but I’m sure that an internship at AlphaTRAC will help me develop a deeper understanding of chemistry, as hazmat is all about chemicals. Personally, I hope that this internship will help me realize, one way or another, whether or not this is something I want to be a big part of my future. I’m not sure I have any career goals set yet in this field, although emergency dispatch definitely interests me a lot. I hope that an internship in the field will help me make decisions like that in the future.
On a daily basis, there is a lot I can be doing at AlphaTRAC. On day one or two, I think I’m going to try out some of their training software. They will give me a login so that I can access this software. When I take the test, it will help AlphaTRAC, because they can use my first results to get an idea about what an inexperienced trainee may score on certain scenarios. They can change and develop their software, using my results as a baseline, to make the software more suitable for someone with less/more training in the field. I will also be allowed to do things like add certain graphics or other elements to the decisions course training. Toward the end of my three weeks, I hope to try the software again. This will let me gauge my personal growth, and AlphaTRAC will be able to see what kind of progress I have made, as well. I will be testing the software periodically, so my end-of-internship results will help AlphaTRAC understand how effective the software is. In addition to testing and formatting the software, I may be an advocate for high schoolers, and build connections between the world of emergency dispatch and adolescents. I may, if possible, also help develop software alike to AlphaACT that is more suitable for high schoolers, further opening that world up to them.
I don’t need too much knowledge going in to AlphaTRAC, but I did take a Hazmat operations class with my dad a while ago, so I will make them aware of that before I begin testing their software. To complete my project, all I really need to do, I think, is to repetitively try out the software, keep track of and record what elements I add to the AlphaTRAC software on my LINK DP, and help around the office at AlphaTRAC HQ however else I can. By the end of my project, I will be able to present what I have accomplished with AlphaTRAC, and possibly even do a walkthrough of the crisis training software so everyone that sees me exhibit will have an actual understanding about what the field of Hazmat and fire crisis aversion is all about.
Some obstacles I have encountered along my journey of finding an internship include finding someone who was willing to offer me an internship. I had tried with the EPA, and this was probably the most interesting obstacle I have faced. I had emailed someone working for the EPA about getting an internship, and everything seemed promising, but then the government shutdown happened. This threw everything off that I had with the EPA, because being that the EPA wasn’t earning any money, and getting a background check requires money, I was denied an internship, and had to move on to something else. Luckily, once I was taken in to AlphaTRAC, everything was easy sailing. I had gone in with my dad, who was meeting with the Marketing Manager, Jonathan Mackintosh, and I was able to talk with him, and I got an internship set up pretty soon after that.
I’m a little stressed out about the internship as a whole, but above that, I have a definite sense of excitement. I think one of the biggest things that’s going to prove challenging for me is acquainting myself with everyone at the office, and making connections with them. I’m a young person from a small town, and I understand these people are all about business, so I will have to adapt to the office setting, and challenge myself to make the best out of it. So, all in all, I’m feeling pretty good about it. One thing I’m not looking forward to, however, is the traffic.
