Name: Amanda Pyryt

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: CAT Vehicle REU at the University of Arizona | Title of Your Position: REU Participant

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

Expected Graduation Year: May 2016

Briefly describe your internship, co-op, research, or service-learning opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

This summer, I traveled out to the University of Arizona to participate in the CATVehicle Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) with 8 other people to work on a self-driving car. I was assigned a project to work on with a partner, and we created a component that switches between different controllers while the car is driving depending on its current behavior. We also created a modeling language that generates code for our component and allows the set of states of the vehicle and their entry conditions to be easily added or changed at a later point in time. After we finished that, we implemented some controllers and tested them with our component.

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I actually found the website for this research experience on my own from the NSF website, which lists many different REU's all over the country. I did have help from the Career Center with editing my resume and personal statement.

Which of the following resources did you use to find your current experience?

NSF website

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

I enjoyed learning new skills and applying what I've learned in my classes to research in an exciting field. Developing software that will eventually be used to assist in operation of an autonomous vehicle is very exciting! I also liked that our research program had many interesting talks and visits from people in our field as well as classes in professional skills and advice about getting into graduate school.

What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another opportunity?

The opportunity to do research at another university on the opposite side of the country was awesome. I met many new people and professionals who conduct research in my area of interest. This experience gave me a glimpse into the field of academia and showed me what graduate school is like. I also enjoyed exploring a new area with a group of new friends!

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

Find an internship that does work that you find interesting, and don't be afraid to leave your home state to get there!

Please provide a short quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / the internship placement process.

This research opportunity has given me the opportunity to work in an emerging field and has taught me so much about the field of Computer Science and Engineering.

One of the things that makes UMBC great is how wonderful our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are. Because of these amazing people, UMBC often finds itself “in the news,” so each week, we’ll be sharing with you a round-up of the most newsworthy achievements from our community.

• Tim Gindling, Economics, Interviewed in World Bank Jobs and Development Blog
• Robert Provine, Psychology, in Time
• Anne Rubin, History, to Appear on WYPR’s Humanities Connection, Receives Wall Street Journal Book Review
• Performing Arts and Humanities Building Reviewed in Baltimore Business Journal
• Manil Suri, Mathematics, Writes New York Times Op-Ed

Read more at UMBC Insights!

Cassie Bichy, Learning Resources Center, and Eileen O’Brien, psychology, co-wrote an article, “Course redesign: Developing Peer mentors to Facilitate Student Learning.” The article appears in the fall 2014 edition of The Learning Assistance Review.

Tim Gindling, economics, was interviewed for the World Bank Development and Employment blog about his work on self-employment in the developing world.

Gindling joined Gary Fields from Cornell University and David Margolis from the University of Paris in an interview focused on why self-employment is so prevalent in developing economies, and what governments could do to improve the standard of living of self-employed workers in those economies.

Click here to read “A Better Life for the Developing World’s Self-Employed.”