Irina Fedorova

1. Why did you choose electronic engineering?

I acquired interest in technical professions since I was a child. I was always proud of my father who was a true master of his craft in telecommunications engineering. Growing up watching him, I always wanted to learn new things and improve constantly. In my seventh grade, I decided that my future would be in communications-electronics.

2. Can you please tell us more about the grant competition?

I was among the organizers when we presented the Foundation’s summer internship program at the University and I was eager to apply for the competition. I decided I would test myself, submitted documents and wrote an essay. The latter was challenging, it is one thing to be aware of your abilities and know your plans, but a completely different thing to present this to convince someone on the other end of your full commitment. After that I was interviewed. Unlike the usual individual interviews, we were interviewed in a group which, in my opinion, was a very effective method of selection.

3. Besides the study and work, what else was interesting?

Working in the lab was very interesting, of course, I even stayed late after work and worked on weekends. Nevertheless, we did find time for entertainment to take a break from the studies. I immensely enjoyed communicating with my new friends and visiting incredibly beautiful places such as Niagara Falls and Museum of Glass. And of course, I could not miss the chance to stop by the Statue of Liberty in New York City. Also, I spent my early mornings or evenings either in gym or swimming.

4. How would you evaluate the outcomes of the internship?

I spent two and a half months undertaking the internship and I was able to gain a deep knowledge of research activities and acquired experience of working in a lab. I also was able to apply the knowledge I gained to my work on a relevant subject, i.e. machine learning algorythms. I was very enthusiastice about participating in presentations and discussions. I also attended the Symposium at the end of the internship that gave me the opportunity to present my results. And all of this has been a great contribution in writing of my thesis. During the internship I got acquainted with new programs, and, of course, many interesting people.