As a student studying Philosophy, Religion, and Ethics, I don’t often get to use tech as much as I would like to. Being promised an opportunity to work with various tech, such as motion capture (on which I spent most of the internship), and seeing the EEGs, eye trackers, and so on in the lab instantly jumped out to me.
The internship saw me do everything from reaching out to researchers and IT staff to learn firsthand how the lab’s tech worked to going into the lab on my own to take photos, having my hot desk in the Arts building, and presenting some of my work to the college heads.
It was undoubtedly a challenging process. Not only did I move into my new accommodation during the internship (photo below), but I even had to delay the first meeting as my mum visited before a work trip.
Which was a very nerve-racking experience; however, doing so and debriefing with Aaron Cox (IT Head) and Amy Wilkins (Intern Manager and Mentor) after the fact, helped me realise that even they were nervous presenting in the lab, and they are far more qualified than I am.
The one thing I regret from the internship was not having enough time. I ended up meeting so many fantastic and interesting people in my short time on the internship, and had I had more time, I would have been able to explore even more of the tech. However, with Amy’s help, I gained many opportunities to meet with people and perhaps open the door to participation in further projects. The internship did not feel like an isolated event, but perhaps like a start to a new adventure.
I’d also like to thank Ioana and everyone on the CRI team for providing an unforgettable experience (and lots of free food to take home after the events).
-Simcha Kerbel
