Forensic Engineering Intern

City of New YorkNew York, NY
Hybrid

About The Position

The primary role of DOB’s Forensic Engineering unit (FEU) is to ensure public safety across all five boroughs of New York City. The unit responds to referrals and emergencies involving complex engineering and construction problems with unsafe, collapsed, leaning, fire damaged, or otherwise structurally compromised buildings and structures, also addressing issues of egress, zoning, and occupancy. FEU provides the Agency with engineering competence for incidents, accidents, collapses, fires, weather events and building related fatalities and services DOB emergency responses and special engineering needs. With each referral, FEU prepares a report addressing the history of building construction, an assessment of recent building performance, as well as recommendations for action after the building has experienced a trauma. FEU reports may offer engineering explanations of the findings, analysis, problems, and solutions of an affected structure as well as conclusions and recommendations for external agencies and the DOB borough commissioners. FEU technical staff confer with their counterparts in the private sectors regarding resolution to complex engineering problems as they relate to buildings in NYC. The unit also includes the Proactive Inspections team, which audits plans for certain buildings or filed by certain design professional and conducts proactive inspections of buildings and construction sites based on predictive analytics. This College Aide (year-round intern) assists with and learns how to perform this work.

Requirements

  • Matriculation at an accredited college or graduate school.
  • Employment is conditioned upon continuance as a student in a college or graduate school.
  • Matriculation at an accredited college or graduate school with a specific course of study in information technology, computer science, management information systems, data processing, or closely related field, including or supplemented by 9 semester credits in an acceptable course of study.
  • Matriculation at an accredited college or graduate school with a specific course of study in information technology, computer science, management information systems, data processing, or other area relevant to the information technology project(s) assigned, including or supplemented by 9 semester credits in an acceptable course of study.

Responsibilities

  • Research different filing types, building types, occupancy classifications, permits, contactors, violations, complaints, incidents/accidents, applicants of record, Certificates of Occupancy using NYC Open Data, DOB BIS, DOBNOW, City Planning, HPD, DOF, and other data sources.
  • Use various data science tools to process and analyze data, including download data, subdivide files, scrub files, merge data, etc.
  • Assist with preparing scrubbed and sub-divided researched data files and tables into distinct files, boroughs, community boards, block and lot, addresses, floor height, etc. Arrange into tables and maps to be used to determine structural sensitive buildings and other building groups of special interests in terms of public safety.
  • Assist with historic research both analog and digital from public domain locations; NYC archives and records. Research private databanks and files at colleges such as Columbia, NYU etc.
  • Assist with applying research methodologies and organizing files, filing addresses, for emergencies and other data and analytical events such as storms, hurricanes, flooding, gas explosions etc.
  • Assist with setting up maps of various data analysis/research outcomes.
  • Assist with generating and developing engineering coordination BIN lists, and coordination of work of engineering units under Enforcement bureau and Development bureau.
  • Assistant with proactive engineering audit and inspections
  • Assist with communications with owners, building agents, analysists with other agencies etc.
  • Assist other Department and Enforcement units with assignments, special projects, maps, data runs, analysis, report preparation, site visits etc.
  • Assist with all day, partial day or multi-week site visits to canvas addresses, interior/exterior of buildings, roof surveys, shed surveys, curb cut surveys, and the likes
  • Collaborate on related work with other Department interns, engineering teams, etc. on an as needed basis
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