29
July
2013
|
14:16 PM
America/Chicago

Computer Science Majors Intern with Tech Giants

Internships are those valuable stepping stones between college and career that help students successfully transition from the classroom to the office. They provide important insider information and experience that students might otherwise lack. The right internship can open doors and forge connections that last lifetimes.

Several UHD computer science majors are enjoying internships this summer at some of the most prestigious tech companies in the world: Hewlett Packard, Google and Microsoft. These students are also members of Femprof, a comprehensive mentoring program engaging female undergraduates in computing research experiences, seminars and summer internships in preparation for success in graduate school and directed to future participation in the professoriate.

vanessa hernandezVanessa Hernandez is enjoying her time working close to home for tech giant Hewlett Packard (HP). As an intern with the Integrated Server Test Network Interface Card (IST NIC) team, Hernandez is working on two projects that she calls crash courses in data mining, database infrastructure and front-end design. While she can't give too many details away due to HP's security measures, Hernandez says her first project is "a projection project that enables the team to better estimate how much time should be allocated for new tasks based on past tasks with similar test cases, memory, etc." Her second project is "a visualization project that allows managers to view how a project is progressing based on different criteria."

Hernandez, who previously interned at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, found the internship hp_logo_1through The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computer - an annual conference designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. Called "the conference" for women in computer, Hernandez said that her mentor and UHD computer lecturer Sangeeta Gad makes sure female computer science majors attend.

While this hard-working student is looking forward to graduating, she is open to continuing her time with HP. "I'm not sure how the rest of the year is going to work out," she said. "A lot of interns are offered year-round internships at the end of the summer." In the meantime, Hernandez will continue computing, gaining experience and setting an example for other females in computer science.

Stay tuned for interviews with other Femprof students!