Athens Technical College - Spotlight
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Electronics Technology grad gets hands-on experience at BP terminal
Ever since he was a young boy, recent Athens Technical College graduate Perry Hardy, now 19, has gotten a charge out of electronics.
After completing his associate’s degree in Electronics Technology at the college, he’s now getting hands-on experience in the field
through a paid internship with British Petroleum’s BP Products North America pipeline terminal in Doraville.
“I’ve always liked electronics,” Mr. Hardy said in a phone interview recently. “I was homeschooled, so I never had a tech club
to join. During my high school years, my goal was to learn about technology and how it worked. I was always interested in electronics
and always thought I could have a career in it.”
When he graduated from the high school level three years ago at age 16, he was ready to attend Athens Technical College
and learn about electricity with a desire of getting a good job in the electronics field. He enrolled in the Electronics Technology program
at the college a little over two years ago. He also studied basic computer operation, networking and hardware, and as a hobby he
works with a software program called Pinnacle Studio 15 to record and edit videos on his computer.
Earlier this year, BP contacted Athens Technical College’s Electronics Technology program Chair Ken Roberts to ask if Dr.
Roberts had any students who might want to intern with the company during the summer.
“They asked me to send students in electronics technology who understood electronic control valves and valve actuators,
who had computer knowledge and troubleshooting and maintenance capabilities for the oil and gas industry,” Dr. Roberts said. “Also
there was a requirement of maintaining a 3.0 GPA in all core classes.”
Hardy, a Commerce resident, was one of the college students who submitted an essay explaining why his talents would
make a good fit for that BP internship.
“I explained why they should pick me,” Mr. Hardy said. “I told them what I had learned, my background with mechanical
equipment, and my abilities to learn new processes easily and work with different people.”
His written response apparently caught the attention of the BP human resource personnel, because they called him for a
phone interview, during which he expounded on his computer skills.
“One thing that impressed them early on was my ability with the computer,” he said. “They use Microsoft, so when I proved
proficient on that software, that helped me stand out.”
Mr. Hardy was one of three people whom BP called back for an on-site interview with a panel of BP staff members at the end
of April. He began work May 30 on an internship that lasted through August. At that point Mr. Hardy had been considering taking
classes at the University of Georgia or Gainesville State College to pursue a bachelor’s degree in engineering, but when he found out
that his credits weren’t enough to transfer to UGA, it was too late to register with Gainesville State. When his employer found out that
he would miss enrolling in fall semester, they extended his internship through Christmas. He has enrolled for spring semester with
Gainesville State College.
The stint at BP’s Doraville site has provided a great learning experience that he has “really enjoyed,” Mr. Hardy said. His
computer knowledge has enabled him to help out with administrative work involving record keeping and tracking fuel shipments. Mr.
Hardy’s duties include helping operate the equipment to run tests, and to ensure the different fuels are loaded in the proper containers.
He also handles preventive maintenance duties on the equipment.
Being able to watch terminal technicians troubleshoot, and to participate himself on jobs like replacing valves and circuit
boards, Mr. Hardy was able to experience what someone with an associate’s degree like his would do. But often, the company would
contract with engineers to take on some of the jobs needed at the terminal, and Mr. Hardy was intrigued by how engineers interacted
with the techs whose skills deal mostly with the mechanical aspects of equipment.
http://www.athenstech.edu/Spotlight.cfm?i=409
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Athens Technical College - Spotlight
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“It got me leaning more toward engineering than I had before,” Mr. Hardy said. “Seeing it in the workforce, it’s made me want
to learn more about how it’s done.”
“The internship with British Petroleum is a great local opportunity for our students to get hands-on experience with computer
controlled industrial equipment and monitoring devices that are responsive to demands by the petroleum industry,” said Dr. Roberts.
“BP Pipelines, U.S. delivers multi-grade fuels to many customers in the Southeast area through their Doraville location where our intern
is presently working. The student will also be exposed to an ever-changing environment where logistics are imperative. Transportation
lines for fuel are intersecting at this site and that requires monitoring of pipelines, fuel-tank transportation, railroad freight and storage
tank levels and flow rate. Logistics management and record-keeping through the use of computers are some of the many learning
opportunities that the internship will bring to a student, along with his technical expertise in electronic instrumentation. “
Don Nelson
706 227-5460
http://www.athenstech.edu/Spotlight.cfm?i=409
11/7/2012
Athens Technical College - Spotlight
http://www.athenstech.edu/Spotlight.cfm?i=409
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