Siobhan’s spending this summer working on some top secret stuff for Microsoft!

Siobhan Dunbar, Seidenberg 1. Who are you working with this summer? (…and what do they do?)

This summer, I am working at Microsoft Research as a student in the Microsoft Data Science Summer School (DS3). Though I cannot disclose details, Microsoft Research focuses on examining various data sets, especially in the realms of computational social science.

2. Can you tell us a little about what you are doing? (We might not understand the technicalities, but we’d love details!)

In our program, the first few weeks have been lectures and hands-on learning of various programming languages and utilities such as Python, Shell Coding, and R. For the rest of the program, I’ll be working on a team project. After forming prospective research questions, we’ll analyze data sets and develop conclusions to those questions. We’ll then show those results in interesting and coherent visual representations.

 3. Is there a particular class or professor at Seidenberg that has helped you prepare specifically for your current internship? (Clearly, we’re all about shout outs this summer!)

I would like to give a special shout out to Dr. Jonathan Hill and Stephanie Elson who have been a tremendous pillars of support to me throughout my time so far at Seidenberg, and who have also recommended me for this program. Thank you!

 4. Does your new office have a favorite restaurant/hangout they go to after work? (No! we’re not going to show up like proud parents!) 

Since the hours do go a bit late, and we have meals catered to the offices every week, a specific hangout spot has yet to be discovered. However, for those days when food is not provided, there are a variety of places around with good food if you ever need a break from the office.

Siobhan Wilmot-Dunbar is an undergrad student at the Seidenberg School, majoring in computer science. She’s an honors student and a wicked pianist.

Artem’s on the right track with his summer internship at MTA, New York

Atem Karapetyan | Seidenberg1. Who are you working with this summer? (…and what do they do?)

I am working with Robert Prophet. He’s in charge of maintaining power and cooling in all data centers, as well as building new ones. I also work with Aneudy Lake, he is the head IT professional and he is a system analyst, he sets up workstations, fixes network issues and does installation of new machines. The last person I work with is John Rubino, he is the Sr.Project Manager for Security in the MTA, he is updating the security protocols of the MTA, whilst maintaining existing ones.

2. Can you tell us a little about what you are doing? (We might not understand the technicalities, but we’d love details!)

I go to different locations, whether it is Hennery Hudson or Verrazano Bridge Narrows or East New York; I go and inspect their data centers with my team. I install machines for new (permanent) employees. I get to deal with everyone from electricians to contractors to Sr. level project coordinators and get to see how each one of them affects the process of controlling a data center.

3. Is there a particular class or professor at Seidenberg that has helped you prepare specifically for your current internship? (Clearly, we’re all about shout outs this summer!)

Sadly I have not taken any IT or networking courses as of yet, so no teachers helped me get my experience when it comes to this particular job, but Kline, Freddy, Olga, and Hill have always supported me.

4. Does your new office have a favorite restaurant/hangout they go to after work? (No! we’re not going to show up like proud parents!)

We interns go where it is cheap, good, and filling. So, we go to Yips, 18 Beaver St New York, NY 10004.

Artem Karapetyan is an undergrad student at the Seidenberg School, majoring in computer science. He’s known to give quite the bear hug!

Summer STEM Camp 2013

What has Seidenberg HQ been up to lately?

We have been busy with STEM! A distinguished group of 20 talented New York high school students have been invited to participate in a 3 week long STEM camp experience. Much like what we did with this year’s Summer Scholars Experience, this educational camp aims to raise awareness about the importance of STEM in addition to exposing the students to the many opportunities that STEM has to offer. As the camp kicked off, our bright participants were placed in teams of 4 and asked to come up with a concept for a STEM related mobile app and website.

 A Day in the Life of a STEM Camp Participant

Each day the camp is filled with excitement and adventure. Students not only learn about coding and Photoshop but they are exposed to a wealth of knowledge from experienced guest speakers and dedicated mentors, including Pavel Kibrik, who talked about the importance of sleep, and Pace professor Samuel Baruch, who discussed his experiences at Columbia where he earned his degree in Math. Our bright campers also get a cultural thrill when visiting different top tech companies, startups, and tourist attractions around NYC. So far, our campers have attended the UNIFCEF CUNY design challenge where they had the chance to learn how students are using STEM to improve the quality of life of the less fortunate. Our campers also visited the NY Hall of Science and the Highline Park. Our bright STEM participants visited Codeacademy, Eye Beam, and Alley Tech NYC to see how awesome it is to work at startups.

 What’s in Store?

With one more week to go, the campers have to finish their STEM mobile apps and their accompanying websites. Each group will then present their work to an esteemed panel of judges. We are excited to see the success of our talented STEM campers!

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