Meet Jacob Rivers, a junior at UVA majoring in mechanical engineering.
This summer, Jacob worked out of MEB’s Chesapeake headquarters, where he contributed to both the USACE Great Falls Air National Guard POL Complex and the upcoming Charlotte McAlpine Creek Wastewater Management Facility Nutrient Harvesting project.
Beyond lending a hand on these projects, Jacob jumped right in on the recently formed AI Steering Committee, bringing a younger perspective to the development of new software. He shared that this has been his proudest achievement at MEB so far, “I’m very happy with my work in AI, where I’ve been able to bring new ideas while sharing knowledge with the people here.”
As part of his work with the committee, Jacob gave a presentation on how MEB could use GPTs, a customized version of ChatGPT, as a tool in day-to-day project work. He walked the group through creating a custom GPT project assistant that could support quick information lookups, submittal criteria, specification summaries, RFI assistance, and more.
When asked why he chose MEB for his internship, Jacob said, “The thing that made MEB stand out to me was that it was a local company that had a big heart for the community around it.” That commitment to community was on full display this summer, as Jacob and the other interns took part in several outreach events, from military care kit packing to cleanups. These opportunities gave interns a hands-on way to see how MEB gives back.