Internship
Research Assistant at
Boston University Summer Institute in Biostatistics and Data Science Program; Data Science Intern at
Groundwork DFW
Tell us about your two summer internships.
Boston University Summer Institute of Biostatistics and Data Science is an NIH funded program that strives to introduce undergrads to the field of biostatistics. I was a receiver of a full scholarship to this program through the Boston University School of Public Health, and engaged in a five week, in-person, training program at BU which culminated in an asynchronous research assistantship/group project.
I was also a Data Science Intern for Groundwork DFW, a nonprofit in DFW (Texas) working with international school district to enroll underrepresented kids in preschool. I worked as an analyst to improve neighborhood polling efficacy — using traditional data science pipelines and techniques.
What are you enjoying most about this experience?
I thoroughly enjoy learning about biostatistics and its intersection with data science. During this program, we visited the
Framingham Heart Study in Framingham, Massachusetts, and had the chance to work with some raw data that was collected via their processes. It was very cool working with real data as well as learning some of the behind-the-scenes information about data collection, cleaning, and analysis.
Again, I really enjoyed working with real data. This truly differs from the often clean theoretical data that we use in school. I also enjoyed working in a team environment — conversing about and applying the appropriate statistical techniques that we learn in class.
What CDS courses prepared you for the internship role? Please explain.
Definitely DS110, DS120, and DS121. DS110 provided me with the Python coding experience needed, and DS120 and 121 provided the mathematical background.
How did you find and obtain this internship?
The
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and reaching out to different companies in Dallas, Texas.
What tips would you offer other CDS majors to help with the internship search?
Don't be afraid to cold email people. Remember that career professionals are people, too. That being said, make sure you are still being respectful and succinct in your emails.
