Tag Archives: 2021

Zhuoran Hu ’21: Tsinghua Urban Planning Institute

Posted on by

Name: Zhuoran Hu
Class Year: 2021
Major: Mathematics, Growth and Structure of Cities
Hometown: Beijing

Internship Organization: Tsinghua Urban Planning Institute (THTF Co.)
Job Title: Intern
Location: Beijing

What’s happening at your internship?

My internship is related to smart cities, transportation, and big data. The team that I joined is currently working on an artificial intelligent system named Insight (or called Hui Yan Da in Chinese). This product is mainly used to improve or further solve some existing problems in China’s highway network system, such as lack of hardware equipment as well as intelligence. Currently, a large number of monitoring video images can only be observed and identified by human eyes, so some emergencies cannot be timely detected, which leads to under-reporting. At the same time, some traffic information is not interconnected and shared.

A large number of real-time traffic data collected by the system are sealed and idle. The current situation makes it difficult for the government and the police to manage traffic networks effectively. It is hard to make predictions as well as to identify and deal with emergent traffic accidents at first. The team is able to use machine learning techniques to form some models that can automatically analyze traffic problems. The goal of the product is to improve intelligent traffic management and service capabilities. Most of our clients are local government and some police offices or security departments. People in our group have pretty diverse backgrounds and have different responsibilities. There are people in charge of collecting, selecting, and categorizing different types of data (mostly images of roads or highways). There are also people who build models and test those models. My work is more similar to the first type because of my lack of knowledge in computer science, especially in algorithms. My other work includes preparing materials for conferences, taking notes, and organizing some team-building events. I also make phone calls, participate in group discussions, and brainstorm with other team members. We are trying to train and improve the model so that it can detect more kinds of traffic accidents even under a dark environment with a bad network connection.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied because I want to explore what kind of jobs that I can do with my background in both math and cities. I find organizations or occupations related to smart cities will be a good fit because it is interdisciplinary. I am interested in cities and how people circulate around the city. This internship touches many topics that I am interested in, including transportation and data.

What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn’t expect?

Before I came to this internship, I thought the concept of smart cities is more related to the field of urban planning or urban studies. But actually, the concept of smart cities is based more on computer science instead of urban studies. To succeed in this field, people not only need to have some knowledge about cities, but also need to become an expert in computer science as well as have a deep understanding of algorithms. I believe that if I am good at coding, I will be able to explore more in this internship.

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?

I am learning the company’s own software that is used for data annotations. I am also learning the company’s own chat tool that people can use to send large documents and images to each other. I think this experience provides me inspirations and gives me a better understanding of software developments.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?

I think the biggest challenge is to wake up early. I need to wake up at 7 a.m. and leave my home at 7:30 a.m. in order to arrive at the company before 8:30 a.m. The fast pace of the company is also a challenge, because everyone needs to finish a lot of work in a limited time. I think my experience at Bryn Mawr prepared me for the work. I already learned how to work efficiently and multi-task.

Carlie Hansen ’21: Operations Intern for U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth

Posted on by

Name: Carlie Hansen
Class Year: 2021
Major: Biology + Political Science
Hometown: Chicago

Internship Organization: Office of U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth
Job Title: Operations Intern
Location: Washington, D.C.

What’s happening at your internship?

As the operations intern, I have one of the more dynamic roles within the internship cohort and the senator’s office as a whole. I have worked in every department so far this summer, including communications/press, admin, legislative, and scheduling. Basically, wherever the office staff can use extra hands or an extra brain, I’m there. The teams I work most closely with, however, are the administrative team, where I sort mail or review voicemails, and the legislative team, where I assist the environment and energy policy staffers. On a daily basis, I also engage with the senator’s constituents over the phone and when they visit the office, recording their legislative opinions and assisting them in connecting with caseworkers in the senator’s state offices.

Why did you apply for this internship?

Senator Duckworth is one of my home state senators, and has been a huge inspiration to me as I’ve started thinking about a career in politics, so it seemed natural to pick her office to apply to intern in. For a while I’ve had an interest in working on the Hill in D.C. after I graduate, so I figured applying for a congressional internship would be the best way to see if I wanted to build my career here. Prior to this summer I also received advice that an internship on the Hill in some ways serves as an extended job interview, as the connections you make and reputation you build while interning can help you get a job later on.

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?

This internship first and foremost has been an opportunity to polish my writing, speaking, and Excel skills. I’ve gotten to develop intrapersonal skills working in group settings and with a variety of teams within the office, and learned how to engage with the senator’s constituents. In the bigger picture, I’m learning about what it means to represent a constituency and how to do so effectively and diplomatically. With that, I think it is important to recognize that any elected official represents people who hold a variety of beliefs, not just those who share their views. Throughout my internship I’ve gotten to see how the senator takes into consideration the views of her constituents without compromising her own beliefs when it comes time to make decisions.

Was this internship what you expected it to be?

I didn’t have a lot of expectations about the internship going in, especially because I had no idea what an operations intern did in the grand scheme of a congressional office. I also have had to constantly think on my feet, as no two days are ever the same on the Hill. But going into the internship with no expectations has let me take better advantage of any learning opportunity that I’ve encountered so far — I can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer holds!

Emily George ’21: Sociology of Sport Research with David Karen

Posted on by

Name: Emily George
Class Year: 2021
Major: Sociology
Hometown: Wilmette, Ill.

Internship Organization: Sociology of Sport Research Project with David Karen, Chair and Professor of Sociology, Bryn Mawr College
Job Title: Research Assistant
Location: Bryn Mawr College

What’s happening at your internship?

Currently, I’m working on a few mini-assignments under the umbrella project of researching the benefits and possibility of the “all sport for all” model! Right now, my main focus is researching how the six major confederations of FIFA regulate recruiting in order to maintain competitive balance among the teams. Other than that, I’m looking at how the UN’s Centre for Sport and Human Rights is working towards creating a global respect for sport as a human right and a tool for peace building. On top of these projects, I do some speed-reading and summarizing of books and articles for DK!

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because I felt it would give me the opportunity to explore and experience what a large-scale, long-term research project is like. Furthermore, I felt that it would allow me to obtain and practice many research skills that will be highly beneficial for the remainder of my college career and beyond! Finally, the topic sounded fascinating, so I was thrilled to have the chance to get involved.

Was there anything special about how you found this internship?

In the fall semester, I had asked DK if there were any research opportunities in the Sociology Department, as I was hoping to gain hands-on research experience outside the classroom. At that point, there were no research assistant positions available. However, in February, I received an email from DK explaining that he was planning on conducting research for a book on sociology of sport and asking me if I’d like to discuss the possibility of joining his project as a research assistant for the summer. Naturally, I was thrilled to have the opportunity and expressed my excitement immediately.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

This is very small, but I have my own office and key to all the rooms in Dalton, which is very fun!

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?

I believe that the research skills I am gaining will be useful in all my classes going forward, as well as my thesis. Outside of hard skills, I am certain that the other soft skills I am honing, such as persistence, time-management, organization, dedication, and drive will be beneficial in my college years and beyond! I am incredibly grateful to have this opportunity because I feel as though it is helping me grow as a student, researcher, and person.

Chloe Liu ’21: EMILY’s List

Posted on by

Name: Chloe Liu
Class Year: 2021
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Princeton, N.J.

Internship Organization: EMILY’S List
Job Title: State and Local Campaigns Intern
Location: Washington, D.C.

What’s happening at your internship?

EMILY’S List is a political action committee that is focused on electing pro-choice democratic women to all levels of government. EMILY’s List is the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, and it has raised over $500 million to support pro-choice Democratic women. I am currently interning in the State and Local Campaigns department, which trains and supports candidates and their campaign staff. My day-to-day work includes compiling and writing background research on candidates and races, communicating with state and local candidates to aid them with administrative tasks, and attending staff meetings.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because I know the importance of electing pro-choice Democratic women to state and local legislatures. I believe that state legislatures have the most influence on constituents’ day-to-day lives. Issues such as choice, healthcare, water quality, and school budgets can be affected by local legislatures. I believe that it is important to elect women who will champion progressive change.

Living in a new city? What has that experience been like for you?

This is my first time living in a city and I love it! I’m adjusting to casually walking past national monuments when crossing the street and watching motorcades zoom past me on my way back from work. Currently, I have two major goals: 1. Go to all the free museums 2. Find every vegan bakery in the area.

What is most rewarding about your internship?

The most rewarding aspect of my internship is that I know that every piece of work that I do is meaningful. Although it is sometimes difficult to imagine the impact of the work that I am doing behind a computer screen, I know that every project I complete will help elect a candidate into office.