AIKEN, S.C. (July 18, 2022) — Rising college senior Trajan Salinas found his calling.
Salinas is a summer intern with Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC), the liquid waste contractor at the Savannah River Site (SRS), working for the Process Applications group.
As part of his internship, he is supporting the facility web application development process and planning an upgrade to the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) applications at two SRS liquid waste facilities: the Defense Waste Processing Facility and Effluent Treatment Facility. He is tasked with upgrading databases to improve their cyber security posture.
“This internship was definitely a first experience for me,” Salinas said. “It has given me the opportunity to know that I am moving forward with my life, and I know what I want to do.”
Salinas attended Kennesaw State for two years before transferring to Augusta University for his junior and senior years. While he was at Kennesaw State, he enjoyed hiking adventures, frequent trips to Atlanta, and other experiences in a new city. But he wanted to find his career.
Over the past two years, Salinas said he did not know that his future was right in front of him. With his computer science degree, he has the ability to freely create and invent things from scratch.
“I was always interested in programming having grown up with technology being a center point in my life,” Salinas said. “The main reason why I chose computer science and not software engineering or video game and design is because I wanted to keep my options open – to have the freedom to open many doors.”
Susan Lawson, SRMC Process Applications Manager, said Salinas is providing an essential foundation to support the LIMS operation and stability.
“Because of his strong work ethic, questioning attitude, and commitment to excellence, he is laying the groundwork for the organization to repeat his defined process on many servers, long after he his internship is completed,” Lawson said.
Salinas has many goals for his future. His short-term goals include graduating with his bachelor’s degree in computer science and being economically stable with a job he enjoys. His long-term goals include wanting to be successful in both his personal and work life. However, his biggest goal is to help with and create a product that can help and change people’s lives.
“All I know is I want to be a part of something revolutionary,” Salinas said.
SRMC comprises parent company BWX Technologies, Inc. with partners Amentum and Fluor. Its team brings the capabilities necessary to accelerate cleanup at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site through safe nuclear operations, optimized and integrated mission execution, and strong corporate governance.
Cutline: Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) intern Trajan Salinas is working in the Process Application group.