By: Jerome Shangold
Introduction
I was incredibly fortunate last summer to have the opportunity to work at Idiap in Martigny, Switzerland. My role consisted in being an intern working as a Junior Fellow in the AI4Media project. Not only did I have the opportunity to familiarize myself with all that is state of the art in AI and natural language processing, but I had enough free time to pursue various hobbies and recreational activities.
Key Experiences
Taking Projects from Beginning to End
In the world of computer science, there is a belief that students acquire vast amounts of knowledge and learn to think like a computer scientist through coursework, but fail to gain practical experience in an academic setting. This is entirely true. I greatly value having been able to read literature surrounding a subject or task, set up my coding environment, and write the very first line of code on a project to the very last. I am most proud of adapting an algorithm I found in present several papers to complete a certain nlp task for our pipeline.
Mindfulness and Developing Hobbies
This was perhaps my first summer ‘adulting’. I worked mainly 9-5 and lived by myself in a relatively small town. I had a lot of alone time and some new responsibilities. With this new lifestyle, I was able (or forced, depending on how you look at it) to practice cooking and mindfulness almost everyday. With the past few months behind me, I can confidently say these freedoms and responsibilities have made me feel much more comfortable on my own and much less scared for the life that waits for me after senior year.
Skills and Knowledge Gained
The nature of my summer internship, both content and location, gave me plenty of opportunities to acquire skills and knowledge:
- I recently became a pescatarian, but I still want to enjoy the food I eat. Through experimenting with new recipes, I improved my cooking skills, learning to navigate new cuisines that offer protein rich plant-based options.
- Adapting/Developing a topic segmentation algorithm enhanced my proficiency in AI, particularly in NLP and deep learning. Additionally, my study of AI research papers provided me with a deeper understanding of cutting-edge advancements in the field.
- Developing a routine should be done through practice of healthy habits. It is okay to stray from that routine and not always be the healthiest, but above all, the routine is never immutable and you can always change it should you desire.
Impact of ‘OKRs’
The OKR framework was a great help for someone who struggles to plan and think about the future (me). I was able to track my progress and recenter myself when necessary to stay focused on my goals.
Some Important ‘Key Results’:
● Cooking New Recipes Bi-Weekly: This key result pushed me to consistently try new recipes, expanding my culinary repertoire and enhancing my cooking skills. This gave me a way to connect to other members of my work group!
● Build a Simple AI Project: By identifying something I wanted to do, in taking it step-by-step I was able to leave my internship with two repositories that proved to be a great experience making and will hopefully be useful to my group in the future.
Lessons Learned
My internship at Idiap was a period of great growth, filled with valuable lessons that will stay with me throughout my life:
- Staying Flexible: One of the biggest lessons I learned was the importance of being flexible and open to change. My original plans didn’t always go as expected, but by being adaptable, I could still achieve my goals – even if sometimes they were different than expected 🙂
- Keep Learning: Whether it was learning new recipes or diving into daunting research articles – ‘Attention is All You Need’ namely – the internship reinforced the importance of continuous learning. Staying curious and seeking new knowledge is essential for both personal and professional development!
- Networking and Collaboration: The connections I made during my internship, whether through cooking or professional projects, highlighted the value of networking and collaboration. These relationships not only provided support and advice but also largely contributed to my overall experience.
- Future Applications: For me, this summer has been nothing short of formative as it has helped me solidify what would like to do after college, and I have been able to cultivate personal practices.
- Culinary Skills: I plan to continue exploring new recipes and eventually start my own healthy, plant-based eating blog, where I can share my culinary/fitness journey with a wider audience. This project will also allow me to further develop my web development skills.
- Next Steps: My experience with AI has solidified my interest in pursuing a PhD in AI and other modern computational methods applied to social sciences – sometimes this is referred to as information science. I plan to continue my work and collaboration with Idiap that I started this summer, with the goal of publishing a paper on some of our findings from the summer some time in the fall.
- Healthy Habits: I have started and practiced some new and some old healthy habits this summer. I hope to continue this going into the fall. Without the foundation of a clear mind, I’ll only find limited success in professional pursuits and personal hobbies. With this in mind, I’m going to continue to prioritize these habits in the future.
Conclusion
My internship at Idiap was an enriching experience that allowed for immense personal growth. The OKR framework helped in guiding my progress and ensuring that I stayed focused on my objectives. As I move forward, I am excited to apply the skills and knowledge I’ve gained this summer to all aspects of my life. Lastly, if you can, go to Switzerland! It’s beautiful and a great place for personal development!
