Name:Kaya Knake

Internship, Co-op or Research Site:Robert Bosch LLC.

Position Title:Intern Software Developer

Major(s)/Minor(s):Computer Science

Work Term:Summer 2018

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

This summer, I was fortunate to intern for a second time with Robert Bosch LLC. I worked within the Information Coordination Organization department to create shared service software. I assisted in database maintenance and created a dashboard in Power BI for Bosch Latin America. On a day-to-day basis, I programmed with SQL, attended customer meetings, and worked independently on assigned projects.

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

I became aware of the internship position for a software developer from a Bosch employee in January 2018. I applied online and had an in-person interview in March. The application process was more streamlined as this was my second internship with Bosch. Therefore, eliminating many of the requirements for new interns, such as watching the online introduction videos, orientation, and some paperwork.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?

As a software development intern at Bosch, I enjoyed employing data visualization tactics to create the dashboards.  Data visualization was enjoyable as it allowed me to creatively analyze and display customer data. This experience was enhanced by reading “Storytelling with Data” which explains how people process charts and visuals.

One of my most enjoyable experiences with Bosch was becoming involved with Women in STEM. I assisted in leading a Women in STEM event for Detroit middle schools girls visiting Bosch to learn about working at STEM companies. I lead four sets of girls through a Sphero programming challenge that I wrote. This activity was fulfilling and I was fortunate that Bosch provided me the opportunity to help out our community.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

I believe I made an impact as a software developer at Bosch through my work on the Power BI dashboard. I created multiple dashboards tailored to customer specifications. I also was given the opportunity to create macros to better organize data, instructed my team on the use of these macros, and apply them to other company dashboards.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

I would recommend to any other student seeking an internship to avoid limiting yourself during the application process. Internships are an opportunity to gain experience but also can open new doors. Remember to network with your coworkers and have fun!

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Most of us here grew up in a time where emails and phone calls were pretty constant. I got my first email address when I was still in elementary school, and I’d been making phone calls since I learned how to talk. But there is a big difference between calling a relative or emailing a friend and communicating with an employer or customer through phone or email. Learning to communicate professionally can sometimes be a little tricky, so keep reading and check out my tips on how to effectively communicate in a professional setting.

In general, there are a few key things to look for whenever you are calling or emailing in a professional capacity. The first is fairly obvious: remember your manners. Have proper greetings and goodbyes on emails and phone calls. Do your best to speak professionally as well, both in written and oral communication.  When making these calls or emails, keep on track. It’s pretty easy to go off on a tangent, telling stories that aren’t relevant or helpful. Be polite and courteous, but try and stick to the original intention of the message when possible. Finally, keep a lookout for your personal life slipping through. Most importantly, check your email signature and your voicemail message. They should include your contact information while being short and professional.

When emailing, always include a brief but informative subject line and send the email from a professional email address (your UMBC address is great while you’re in school). If you have a longer message, make sure to break up the text into readable paragraphs. Whenever I’m hit with a wall of text in an email, chances are I’ll at most skim the information. One characteristic of emails that should work in your favor is the paper trail. This means if you’re appropriate and professional, you have a clear record of your conversations with colleagues and clients. It is easy to refer back to when trying to recall what was discussed and can be used to clarify miscommunications.

I don’t know about you, but phone calls intimidate me. It's easy to misunderstand tone and body languages like in emails, but requires an instant response to keep the conversation moving. Kind of stressful. So it's very important that you take professional phone calls seriously. Always answer an unknown number politely (I know, I know spam calls are the worst, but you don’t want to accidentally hang up on a potential employer). Try not to talk too quickly, and if possible, have an outline of questions you need to ask. Consider taking notes during the phone call, then emailing a summary of your conversation afterward to make sure everyone is on the same page. Finally, don’t do anything else while on the phone! It's tempting to get mindless chores done, but it's important to give these phone calls your full attention.

Name:Sean Jordan

Internship, Co-op or Research Site:Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

Position Title: Software Engineering Intern

Major(s)/Minor(s):Mathematical Statistics Major, Computer Science / Judaic Studies Minor

Work Term:Summer 2018, Winter 2019

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

At my internship, I work to develop computer algorithms for a graph analytics platform that helps to detect anomalies in big data. In the past, I wrote code in Java that helped researchers analyze a biopharmaceutical dataset that dealt with patients who are suffering from schizophrenia, in the hopes that better data analysis tactics could help determine which single nucleotide polymorphisms correlated most heavily with the disease. Currently, I am writing code that helps analyze data taken from NAVAIR flights in order to help determine the cause of certain cases of hypoxia and other illnesses experienced when pilots embark on flights.

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

I first heard about the possibility of an internship with the Applied Physics Laboratory from my grandfather, who worked there in the past. In the spring of my junior year of high school, I applied to their ASPIRE high school internship program, and luckily got accepted. After completing the internship during my senior year of high school, I got hired back as a college intern for the summer, and have been going back between semesters ever since.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?

I have really enjoyed meeting and networking with coworkers that have master's and doctorate level experience in the fields that I am interested in. I have been able to gain valuable insight from them regarding the undergraduate and graduate college experience required to work at such a place as the Applied Physics Laboratory. I have also thoroughly enjoyed working alongside the full-time staff to solve challenging problems that require innovative solutions. The Applied Physics Laboratory also has a variety of events geared specifically at interns, so my experience was filled with fun activities that made me feel like I belonged there.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

I think that I have written long-lasting code that researchers at the Applied Physics Laboratory can use for years to come on multiple other projects. I have also helped synthesize new datasets and use them to draw significant conclusions, which helps further the missions of the projects that I was working on. Additionally, I believe that I have brought positivity and enthusiasm to the workplace, which has brightened my coworkers' moods.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Don't be dissuaded if you find out that your internship isn't what you thought it was. Give it your all anyways, and if you don't like it, move on to a different career focus. Internships are as much about finding what you DON'T like as they are about finding what you DO like.

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Want to be the next Intern of the Week? Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Friday!

Name:Abhishek Dhaktod

Internship, Co-op or Research Site:Knorr Brake Company

Position Title: Project Management Intern

Major(s)/Minor(s):Engineering Management

Work Term:Summer 2018

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

Knorr Brake Company (KBC) is a part of the Knorr Bremse Family located in Munich, Germany. Located in Westminster, Maryland, KBC is a manufacturer of Braking, Door, and HVAC systems for the Mass Transit Rail Industry. As a project management intern for the Rail Services - Brake Division, I work on multiple projects all across the North America supporting Project Manager and their activities such as updating current database such as Bill of Materials, scheduling, procurement and supply chain activities. Currently I am working on a localization process in which I will be responsible of developing an action plan for the Knorr Brake Company to support projects that come under FTA/FRA "Make in USA" regulations. Since the project involves multiple departments and their internal processes, from the base level manufacturing processes, supplier quality assessment to upper level long term planning, I am getting the maximum exposure an Intern would expect.   

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

I heard about the position in November 2017 during a career fair organized by UMBC Career Center. I met the HR representatives and since then I was taken regular follow-ups  on the position requirements and status. The career center helped me design a resume specific to the positional requirements since the HR representative clearly told me that my resume was good for almost all available position but, it she was not able to point me in a particular direction. Finally I got an interview call in mid May which and a few weeks later I got a confirmation call.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?

Project Management is a domain which will help you get maximum exposure in a company. A project manager here at KBC is responsible from the earliest contract stage of a project till the closure or warranty phase. After years of experience, a project manager develops multiple skills like marketing, negotiating, scheduling, managing budgets and customer relationship which is what I am looking forward to in near future.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

Project Managers usually handle multiple projects and they have huge responsibilities on them. These projects are worth millions of dollars and when an intern helps him/her in accomplishing a task at a faster rate, I believe it is a significant contribution towards the organization.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

The subjects we choose and previous experiences/projects and activities can definitely help someone land an internship like this.

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Want to be the next Intern of the Week? Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Friday!