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DATA SCIENCE, COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
Danish Sethi @ Insort GmbH Fall 24
Background
With a background in AI and a strong interest in computer vision, I chose this internship to apply my knowledge in a real-world setting. Vienna Plus also appealed to my desire for an intercultural experience.
Internship
I interned at Insort, specializing in food separation machines. My role focused entirely on computer vision, developing systems to identify and separate defective almonds and hazelnuts.
I was responsible for designing and implementing a computer vision system, handling tasks like dataset preprocessing, training models, and optimizing performance. Challenges included managing noisy datasets and integrating the solution with existing systems. These tasks sharpened my problem-solving skills and deepened my expertise in machine learning.
Work culture and insights
The company’s chill, startup-like culture, influenced by American work styles, encouraged creativity and collaboration. Compared to my U.S. internships, I found this environment slightly more formal yet equally relaxed.
Key reflections
Startup cultures can inspire innovation and autonomy.
Adapting to intercultural communication fosters growth.
Tackling practical AI problems bridges theory and industry.
Takeaways
This internship strengthened my technical skills, confirmed my interest in AI, and enhanced my adaptability.
Victoria Lozano @ Xanevo Spring 24
Background
I am a senior in Information Science (Human-Computer Interaction, User-Experience) at UIUC. I initially chose Xanevo for its AI angle knowing I would not be working directly with AI. Xanevo’s sheer existence as a company that is breaking boundaries and using cutting-edge technologies to appeal to untapped markets I find inspiring! I was curious how a company that is making a name for itself in an unprecedented industry would reflect that in its branding and design. Consequently, I would learn to adapt to a style of design that was less established and in its more malleable early stages.
Internship
I interned with Xanevo as a User Experience Design intern. While I initially coordinated with Jan Kaiser, I primarily worked with Volkan Efe. A unique aspect of the internship was my focus on the business side of UX design, collaborating closely with Volkan to gain insights into both engineering and branding/marketing aspects of the field, rather than directly engaging with technical aspects like programming or design software, which I'm accustomed to. During my time at Xanevo, I was tasked with two major components of the marketing aspect. I researched a use flow strategy and gave my opinion on the website’s design decisions. I also researched an ideal format while designing the novel newsletter that would go out to real clients.
Takeaways
I feel I learned a great deal in terms of communication. I learned the need to be more intentional and careful of my language, as relying on American-based buzzwords or field idioms did not translate well in workplaces with very different terminology. The use of specific rhetoric could really alter the way one receives your work. Overall, I learned how to best structure my time and research plan when conducting research alone, design quality design deliverables at a high industry standard, and certain industry-wide software when reporting work back to the team for all to review. I also feel I learned what all new people entering the workplace must master, which is the anticipation of a boss’s wants and needs before they articulate them, thus sharpening my understanding of company style and culture. I also learned how many disciplines keep human-centered design at the core of their values, which allows me to imagine more opportunities to pursue post-grad!
Isabella Hansen @ Ada Growth Spring 23
Background
As a senior at DePaul studying Mathematics and Data Sciences having internships is important and I am looking for a career now. I thought the opportunity to have an internship in Vienna was a great addition to my resume and a positive way to learn more about what I want to do. I applied to Ada Growth for mainly one reason: to learn more about start-ups. I want to start my own start-up at some point in my life and I wanted to get a real look into start-up life and culture. I was looking for an internship as well that would add value to my math and data science degree.
Internship
My internship was with Ada Growth, which is an AI Tech Start-up company. Ada Growth has created an app for women in the workplace that allows mentorship through digital learning using AI and generative AI. My role at Ada was not set as most roles in start-ups are not, but my main objective was investor relations: I was responsible for finding over 75 investors that would be interested in investing in Ada for the start-up to be able to move into the next stage. I created new or updated pitch decks and also created the first Ada Growth one-pager. Along with being able to work with investors, I was given the opportunity to travel to Helsinki, Finland to the SLUSH conference. The SLUSH conference is the largest start-up and investor conference in Europe. Here, I was responsible for pitching Ada to investors and finding interest. I pitched Ada over 50 times and found about five potential investors.
Takeaways
One of the biggest challenges for me was gaining confidence. During my time, my mentor fully trusted me with these important tasks and gave me full control. I gained more skills than just confidence in my work and abilities. I learned how to craft pitch decks and not only make a pitch deck, but take the data and information needed and turn that into a story to tell investors. Another learning for me was how to craft a one-pager and how to present a one-pager to an investor in 5-10 minutes. These skills will never not be useful, no matter what career I choose for myself. Taking data and numbers and creating a story is a skill I will always need in any career. When I reflect back on my time in Vienna, my internship was definitely a top experience for me. I enjoyed working with Ada Growth and I believe they enjoyed working with me.
Justin Ross @ VICESSE Spring 22
Background
I am studying mechanical engineering and I’ve noticed that these days more and more mechanical systems are incorporating artificial intelligence. Whether that be in robotics, cars, or even watches. Therefore I thought learning about artificial intelligence and its impacts on society would be very beneficial for my career because not only am I learning the technical aspects which will help me as an engineer.
Internship
I worked at VICESSE which stands for Vienna Centre for Societal Security, a research institute which identifies security problems at an international level and proposes potential solutions. During my time at VICESSE I have been researching how Artificial Intelligence is currently used in warfare and how it will be used in warfare in the future and what concerns we should have. My task has been writing a research paper that highlights the concerns of the use of artificial intelligence in warfare and what we should be doing now to ensure that we stay in control of artificial intelligence in the future.
Takeaways
After participating in this internship I’ve learned so much on a professional level, an academic level, and a personal level. Academically, I have gained so many skills when it comes to conducting research. Also, this internship has made me more interested in artificial intelligence and I will definitely take more classes related to AI when I’m back on campus.
Advice for future Vienna Plus students
Make sure to ask a lot of questions so you know what is expected of you.
Jack Stender @ Eaton Spring 22
Background
As an electrical engineering student, my major aligns with the wishes of the company. Furthermore, my experience as a member of Engineering Ambassadors gives me a unique set of skills that lend themselves to the projects I completed.
Internship
Over the last semester, I have had the opportunity to work with Eaton as an Electrical Engineering intern. Eaton is an energy solutions company that specializes in everything from small scale hydraulics and individual power requirements all the way to large scale grids and aerospace applications. I was tasked with two different projects during my time at Eaton. The first one was to dissect and redesign a large scale reference design guide for data centers. The reference ensign guide in question is a document designed to be sent to potential clientele in order for them to make informed design decisions on a data center project. The document we started with contained over fifty pages of hyper technical information that was hard to read and generally unintelligible. The document will be a compact, clean, and readable document that will be an effective tool for Eaton as a whole. My second project was to write a short blog post for the Eaton webpage regarding how to most effectively optimize a data center.
Takeaways
Being a member of a team that worked effectively across three continents, each with a different and unique business culture, was probably the most informative part of this semester.
Advice for future Vienna Plus students
Be as organized as possible and communicate everything.
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