Civil engineering graduate student spends summer with TDOT

UTC graduate student Nishat Tasnim Nisha, wearing a safety vest and hard hat, stands on the pedestrian walkway of Chattanooga's Market Street Bridge overlooking the Tennessee River. The bridge's blue steel framework fills the foreground, while the Tennessee Aquarium and downtown Chattanooga are visible in the background.

Nishat Tasnim Nisha during testing of the Market Street draw bridge. Photo by Angela Foster.

Nishat Tasnim Nisha’s internship at the Tennessee Department of Transportation began with a visit to a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga career fair.

After learning about the opportunity, the master’s student in civil engineering—with an emphasis in transportation and environmental engineering—applied with encouragement from her graduate advisor, Dr. Jejal Reddy Bathi. This summer, she’s helping TDOT keep major transportation projects on track while continuing her graduate research at UTC.

Nisha’s work with TDOT includes reviewing project plans, schedules and guidelines for projects delivered through alternative methods such as design-build and Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC). She also had the opportunity to observe a routine inspection of Chattanooga’s Market Street Bridge, where she saw the process engineers use to evaluate the structure.

“Seeing how transportation projects are managed from planning through construction has been my biggest learning experience,” Nisha said. “It helped me understand how much coordination happens behind the scenes.”

While the internship introduced her to transportation project delivery, Nisha is also conducting research on microplastic transport in stormwater systems under Bathi’s mentorship. She said his guidance has been instrumental throughout her graduate studies.

“My coursework and research at UTC taught me how to approach engineering problems critically and gave me the confidence to work on real projects,” she said.

The internship has proven Nisha’s interest in transportation engineering and infrastructure development, building on a graduate career that already includes several honors. She received the 2025-26 Outstanding Graduate Student Award from UTC’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, the UTC Dean’s Graduate High GPA Merit Award and the 2026 AWWA/CWP Kentucky-Tennessee Student Committee Scholarship.

Nisha also founded UTC’s Water and Environmental Society Student Chapter, serving as its first president and organizing networking events where engineering students could connect with industry professionals.

Nisha encouraged other students looking for internships to stay curious.

“Don’t worry about knowing everything before you start,” she said. “Be willing to learn, ask questions and make the most of every opportunity.”