How was the arrival at the Institute?

It was very smooth! My mentor, Yannik Hahn, picked me up from the airport and helped me get to my accommodation. The institute is a direct bus ride from our dorms, which makes travel back and forth easy.

How did you get accepted at the institute?

I was accepted into in the DAAD-RISE program, which is a summer program that allows students from the US, Canada, and UK to do research in a Germany university. Through them, I was selected to work at this Institute.

How did you get supported?

I was really supported by other DAAD-RISE interns across Germany. I became friends with all the interns in Wuppertal, and met new people through the program who were doing internships in cities nearby.

What do you like about TMDT, what don't you like?

Like: Everyone is friendly, and I have appreciated all the support from my mentor while I was working on my project.

Dislike: I thought the cafeteria food was great coming in, but wound up eventually being a bit tired of it.

SCIENCE/RESEARCH

What was new in your studies?

Throughout my internship, I worked on a project generating rain data, specifically using a VQ-VAE, and tested several strategies to improve the generated images. Utilizing a VQ-VAE altogether was a new concept for me, which made it truly interesting to familiarize myself with. I’ve also never done a project addressing an environment-related issue, so it was exciting that this work could go towards helping people in a new way.

What did you learn? Any surprises in your research context?

My main takeaways were learning more about using Pytorch, VQ-VAEs, augmenting data, optimizing a model, and research writing/presentation. I also improved on time management and communication skills through working under my mentor. This were all essential building blocks to my project, and skills that I can now utilize and improve on in any future endeavors.

What is the biggest difference between here and your home university?

The University of Wuppertal is much smaller, in student population and area. The events I attended here were not as crowded, and it’s easy to figure out your way around. 

What is the biggest difference between your hometown and Wuppertal?

Definitely the weather. I hadn’t anticipated that Wuppertal would be so rainy, as my hometown is in Arizona, which is a desert.

Where did you stay?

I stayed at the student housing accommodation, which is a dorm complex on the main campus.

What did you do outside of work?

I explored Wuppertal and went to different cities nearby with interns in my area. A lot of us Wuppertal interns would meet up to picnic at Hardt Park, which is so beautiful. I also met a group of people who I watched the Euros with regularly, and we’d always grab dinner before or after.

What was the best trip during your stay?

I really enjoyed my trip to Berlin! There were many walking tours and museums, and really great restaurants.

What were your first German words?

“Stilles wasser”, danke, bitte, ach so, genau. These were definitely the words I heard the most around me.

Have you ridden the Schwebebahn?

Yes! It’s a lot of fun, especially at sunset. It’s famous, but still underrated in my opinion.

What is the best food in Town?

I will be deeply missing the dürüm from Akgün Essen & Trinken. I had dürüm in many restaurants around Germany, but this place was my favorite.