Great Minds: student interns in Haifa and Zurich

In 2012, IBM Research Labs in Haifa and Zurich hosted nine students from seven countries. Before packing their bags and heading home, a few of them left comments and tips for future Great Minds applicants.

Adela-Diana Almasi

Adela-Diana had set the bar very high for the renowned IBM Research Lab. She comments, "I am very excited to be here. I came to Zurich with very high expectations and they have all been met. I have the chance to work alongside highly skilled and passionate researchers who study a very large variety of topics. One thing that I particularly appreciate is the fact that here, as interns, we have the freedom to make design decisions on the project that we are part of. Our opinions and input are valued."

Adela-Diana Almasi
PhD student
Computer Science
Polytechnic University
Bucharest, Romania

The budding computer scientist was accepted to the Great Minds program after submitting a paper on creating more adaptive distributed systems through machine learning techniques. "I am currently developing a learning algorithm for a neural network on a graphics card. Because it's quite close to my interests in machine learning and distributed/parallel computing, it has offered me the chance to gain more practical experience in this field. The manager with whom I had my phone interview took a direct interest in finding the most suitable project that matched my experience and interests. This says a lot about the way IBM values its employees."
Asked for her tips for future applicants, Adela-Diana said that confidence is critical. "I've often seen many talented people who are too self-critical and lack confidence in their own abilities. You shouldn't let that get in the way. IBM Research has a strong reputation for finding talented people, so if you are smart and passionate, you have a good chance of being accepted."

Janos Csorba

For Janos Csorba, the 2012 Great Minds internship at IBM Research - Haifa has surpassed his most optimistic expectations.
"I can't believe how much I'm enjoying this position," the Györ, Hungary, native explained. "I didn't think it would be this great."

Janos Csorba
Master's student
Computer Science
Budapest University of
Technology and Economics
Hungary

A graduate of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics with a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Computer Science, Janos's advisor at university originally recommended he apply to the IBM internship.
I just finished my Master's degree a few months ago, so the position here couldn't have come at a better time. It has been a wonderful opportunity to see a great company and experience a different culture."
In Haifa, Janos has been working on truck design configuration as part of the Lab's Constraint Satisfaction group. He's really enjoying the work on the project, which has given him the opportunity to interact directly with IBM clients.
"I joined an active project, with real-time communication with clients and problems that need to be solved on-the-fly," he noted. "It's a really good feeling to see how changes you make to the code of a project create real impact on a client's application."
He's also having a great time traveling in Israel, which he's managed to do somewhat on weekends.
"This is a really interesting country, with so many cultures living so close together. It's totally different seeing things here on your own. Since I've arrived, I've felt extremely relaxed the entire time. I'm really enjoying being here."

Daniela Dorneanu

The IBM Lab in Zurich made an instant impression on Daniela on her very first day. "IBM Research - Zurich is a great place where you have the chance to work with first-class scientists who involve most of their energy in projects they are passionate about. At the end of the day, what can be better than working in the field that you enjoy most in a top company? At IBM Research - Zurich I feel very lucky to have the chance to gain experience in exactly my field of choice and to work towards innovative results."

Daniela Dorneanu
Master's student
Computer Science
Polytechnic University
Bucharest, Romania

Daniela also had the chance to work on her special interest. "I am following a double degree Master's program at Polytechnic Universities from Milan and Bucharest. My courses are focused on security and distributed systems, but I have a hidden passion for Linux and the open-source world. Over the past several months at IBM, I have been analyzing the security metrics for the Linux kernel, which is the topic of my Master's thesis."
Daniela is one of three female students from Romania. However, this is not representative of the current reality in her field. She comments, "There are very few women in computer science and it was nice to come to IBM to see more women involved in research. I think our main assets for working in this field are good intuition, determination and calmness."
Before packing up, Daniela had some parting advice for future Great Minds students. "To stand out when you apply, I think you should find a topic that IBM is interested in and something that you enjoy. If you do it right, it will show in your application."
Read three more interviews here »