Joseph Rios
Name: Joseph Rios Name of lab and location where you interned:Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico. Description of Summer Assignment:Developed models for the release profile of common stabilizers through script files using MATLAB computer software. These models will be incorporated in a journal to be published in the future and will also be used for future types of experiments involving stabilizers. What did you like about the assignment?The workload was time consuming but it was within my capabilities. Did you have a mentor? If so, describe your interactions with your mentor:Yes, I did have a mentor. She was very helpful and was there to guide me throughout the internship. What did you learn? (Both technical and professional skills)I learned a lot of things on both sides. From the technical side, I was able to improve my skills in MATLAB mainly in the Data Processing and Visualization area. From the professional point of view, I learned how to behave and interact with professionals in the workplace. Overall, I would say it was a big learning experience. Advice for other students about interning:I highly recommend everyone to apply for an internship at LANL. It is a great place to work. You will learn about different cultures due to the diverse background of its workers and at the same time you will develop technical and professional skills that will help you in your future career. Describe the hiring process you used to get this internship.I applied for this internship through the SHPE AHETEMS program. What was your biggest challenge and how did you handle it?My biggest challenge was that I was working in the chemistry division when my background is in electrical and computer engineering. Although my work at LANL involved the usage of programming language, there were times where I had to do extra research in order to understand the chemistry behind the experiments. My only option was to use the sources available i.e. the library, to read more about the topics involved in the experiments. Any other comments?Being in the state of New Mexico was a new experience itself. There were a lot of outdoor activities to do such as hiking, camping, swimming and playing a lot of sports. It was a good break away from the usual city life in NJ. I recommend everyone to visit this state at least once in his or her lifetime. |
