Internship(s) Experiences: the Mariana Miranda story

By Mariana Miranda, Research Assistant at the High-Assurance Software Laboratory (HASLab)

Participating in an internship is an inspiring experience that helps us to develop new skills, both professionally and personally. This year, I had the opportunity to join two internships: one of them online, and the other in person – which translated into unique experiences, allowing me a privileged outlook on two realities.

During this summer, I “travelled” to my desk to carry out my internship with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), in Japan. Between October and December, I lived in other side of the Atlantic Ocean and participated in an internship at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), in Austin.

Both experiences took place at advanced computing centres, and since my PhD focuses on improving the storage solutions of said facilities, said opportunities were quite important. Especially since I worked with experts in this area, which allowed me to improve my knowledge and acquire new skills. However, and despite the similarities, I can say first-hand that they were two completely different experiences; I believe that the cultural differences and the duality online vs. in person were the main reasons.

First, I’ll explore my online internship. Despite taking place online, I had weekly meetings with AIST researcher Jason Haga, and we discussed the work’s progress and the issues that would arise each week. In addition, and to compensate for the fact that the internship was taking place online, I had some extra “homework”: researching topics of Japanese culture and presenting what I’ve learned during said meetings. I can say that, despite the significant amount of work, I enjoyed learning a lot about Japan; I truly felt that I experienced a few aspects of the country’s culture, despite the geographical limitations.

Concerning the internship I carried out in person, the experience was quite different. Moving to Austin, Texas, has allowed me to completely immerse myself in Texas culture and experience a bit of everything they have to offer. Although I have different opinions on the temperature of AC units and the number of spicy condiments used to prepare food, I have a mostly positive opinion of the time I spent in Austin. At a professional level, I experienced working at TACC facilities and meeting professionals dedicated to my area of work. However, and due to this new post-COVID reality, most researchers were working from their homes, and I regret not having met more people.

Given these two experiences, I can say, without a doubt, that both realities have their advantages and disadvantages. An online internship is quite flexible, and you can work from several locations, without much entropy or financial burden. The most common negative aspects focus on the lack of structure and support; however, I truly feel that I have not experienced said issues, and that I benefited from adequate support. In fact, the least positive aspect in my experience is the fact that I did not have many opportunities to fully absorb Japanese culture. The positive and negative aspects of carrying out an online internship are quite different to internships carried out in person. Although I have lived, for a few months, in another country (a unique experience), I believe that some people might find it hard. Having the privilege of being able to move to another continent comes with significant family, professional and financial costs. So, I can’t say that one experience is better than the other – they’re just different.