When I signed on as an intern at Kris Bass Engineering, following along as a coworker mowed through the dense Eastern NC woodlands with a chainsaw wasn’t on my bingo card. My name is Jake Harmon, and I’m a rising senior at NC State University. This summer (2025), I had the opportunity to intern with an Ecological Engineering and Restoration firm located in downtown Cary, NC. Kris Bass Engineering is a modest but well accomplished and recognized firm in our area. The firm is owned by an NC State Biological and Agricultural Engineering (BAE) Alumni, Kris Bass. Their work includes Stream and Wetland Restoration, Stormwater Inspections and Design, Dam and Barrier Retrofits, and modeling/monitoring studies. We work with Freshwater and Coastal waterways and wetlands, implementing engineering and design principles to develop solutions to environmental problems alongside different environmental groups and/or town governments. I met Kris Bass through a mutual friend in May of this year, and after speaking with him about my degree and desires, I was offered a position as a GIS intern with the company.

North Carolina Wetlands are some of our most vital and supportive ecosystems in our state. These areas function as carbon stores, water management/quality systems, biodiversity hotspots, and more. Historically, many of North Carolina’s coastal wetlands have been ditched and drained in attempts to farm the fertile organic soils found within. Draining has a detrimental effect on the wetlands functionality, and consequently damages our state’s overarching ecosystem as a whole. This is where firms like Kris Bass Engineering come in. As an ecological engineering firm, we work largely with wetlands and streams ecosystems designing and monitoring solutions to disruption and historical developments. Our work includes dam removals, wetland and peatland restorations, groundwater monitoring, and more. We understand the importance and functionality of these ecosystems, and are motivated to restore them.

I began to work with our staff Ecologist, Katie Lokey. Katie is an environmental scientist; specifically a GIS specialist who is also proficient in R coding and other languages, as well as being capable in many other engineering adjacent softwares. Katie was the first person I got to collaborate with, and she made me feel comfortable learning and asking questions daily. I was able to complete GIS mapping and analysis work, plenty of field work and installations, data analysis for different projects, and conduct project specific research. I frequently got to get out of my comfort zone, get out on John boats and kayaks, wade in streams and waterways, travel, and have a blast while simultaneously working to develop myself professionally. They provided me with plenty of opportunities to ask questions and learn, motivated me to improve and reach out for guidance, and always approached me and our other interns with respect.

Throughout the summer, I slowly got onboarded to more projects. We got to take trips to different parts of Raleigh and Eastern North Carolina regularly. One of the biggest benefits (and also challenges, as the groups were hard to keep track of) was how many different environmental groups, nonprofits, and customers we did business with. From doing stormwater inspections for the towns of Cary and Raleigh, to working with N.C. forest service and non-profits, I was able to meet and be exposed to so many different people from different walks of life. This exposure allowed me to see the interconnectedness of different organizations, and appreciate the collaboration and hard work needed to complete the projects we work on. Whether it was installing and monitoring weir boards for us or aiding in the acquisition of funding, the groups we worked alongside always worked hard to ensure they helped us to the best of their ability. This was also how I ended up in the woods of Eastern NC hacking through brush to install groundwater wells!

The biggest takeaway I had from this summer was a visualization of the effects human intervention can have on ecosystems. From dams to drained land, ecosystem disruptions can leave lasting detrimental effects on the natural environment and species inhabiting them. Being able to witness the outcomes of restoration projects allowed me to visualize the impact our work was having. People feel an interconnectedness with our environment, and a company like our own can often be the spark to bring people together in collaboration to defend it.

I would have never guessed in May that I would land my dream internship a month later. I had used almost every resource I could, and eventually landed in a spot far better than I could have ever imagined. And for that, I am forever grateful. This internship has sparked the desire to enhance my understanding of this work, as well as add to my capabilities within the field. I have talked extensively with coworkers to determine courses, programs, and educational steps to improve my ability to contribute to projects and plan to continue my education via certifications with relevant software, which has proven to be incredibly valuable in what I have seen. The work Kris Bass Engineering does is phenomenal, and the company and people itself follow suit. Any students in BAE or Environmental science who get the opportunity to apply or learn alongside the firm and Kris will not be disappointed, and you may find yourself with a newfound love for our NC wetlands.