Summer Internship with Northeastern University — Debadrita from IIT Kharagpur
Wildcard entry for: – 21st August 2012
Name of the intern: – Debadrita
Institute: – IIT Kharagpur
Organization interned with: – Northeastern University, Boston
One of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston is a heady mix of old quaintness and modern industry. In addition to its prime location on the East Coast, the city and its suburbs are home to some of the best universities in the world – Harvard and MIT, for example. I interned at the Sustainability and Data Sciences Lab at Northeastern University (NEU), located smack in the middle of Boston.
My work involved analyzing evaporation and precipitation data and comparing them against predictions made by climatic models, thus assessing the worthiness of those models. This research can potentially change the way we observe and predict climate change globally. My work required me to code in R and apply basic environmental engineering knowledge. Since NEU has no formal collaboration programme with IIT Kharagpur, I got this internship the hard way – FT mailing. A word of advice to prospective FT mailers – don’t be driven solely by desperation. Look for professors whose research areas correspond to your interests. Work is a significant aspect of your internship (attention, tourists!), and trust me, you want to like what you’re supposed to do.
That said, Boston is an amazing place to be in if you’re an avid traveller. Not only is the city itself very picturesque and has quite a lot of history, its proximity to various popular destinations on the Eastern Seaboard makes it a fitting launching pad for your travels. Toward the end of my internship, my guide also offered me a chance to attend an International Water Resources conference in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which turned out to be a tremendous learning experience.
All in all, the interesting work, friendly people, and fabulous sights made for quite an unforgettable experience. Having received a chance to, I look forward to returning to the place next summer. Impatiently.
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