Time flies when you’re having fun, they say, and this never felt truer. We can’t believe six weeks have passed since we first welcomed 35 students to our offices for the kick-off of Aize Machine Learning Camp. It’s been a busy summer for them, working on different projects involving data science and artificial intelligence. They also had one major rule to keep in mind: having fun!
As the time to say goodbye has come, we’ve asked some of them to share their best memories of this camp as well as their plans for the future – have a read!
Tinus Furnes Alsos, 22
Education: B. Eng. in Renewable Energy (finished this spring), now studying Engineering & ICT
Team: L-Theta
For the past six weeks, I have worked predominantly on creating automatic processing of raw data, as well as a setup for adding new machine learning models. I feel like I have learnt a lot about working in a team and sharing knowledge, and how to create quality code that fits into a large and complex application.
I remember walking into the office on the first day and thinking that this experience makes all the studying this past semester worth it. We had so many social events after work that it’s impossible to pick only one. I really enjoyed the BBQ in the sun, which was a great occasion to socialise in nature!
We all have different backgrounds, so we utilised each other’s strengths to the fullest. Collaboration becomes easy over time when you get to know each other outside of the workplace, so don’t forget to have fun along the way!
Apply, apply, apply! I think the AMLC is the perfect summer internship. You get to meet and work with many talented people and acquire a lot of experience in software engineering. Have I already mentioned that the kitchen is always stacked with snacks and Red Bull and that there are social activities every week?
What are your plans for the next months?
After the camp, I’ll take two weeks of vacation to relax, meet my friends and read a good book. Then I’ll go back to Trondheim to pursue my studies in Engineering & ICT.
Marte Haugestøyl Vinje, 23
Education: Master’s degree in Engineering Science and ICT
Team: L-Delta
This summer I’ve worked on autospooling – which is to automatically split a pipe into the optimal splits («spools») for transportation and construction. My team worked on improving a machine learning algorithm and developed a web application used by engineers to interact with the machine learning algorithm in Aize’s Twin Explorer, Aize’s portal to the digital twin universe.
I love when you feel ownership for a complete product like we did this summer. We’ve had to understand both how the machine learning part could best be solved, and the end user’s wants and needs in order to come up with a relevant and useable product. The most rewarding part of my project was when we managed to add our external application within Twin Explorer using web-components, I’ll never forget that feeling!
This camp was a great chance to apply my knowledge about code and git, while learning completely new programming frameworks and languages, thus improving my ability to quickly learn and understand structures.
I loved simply being at the office every day. Since we were many summer students, it was always a lot of fun – there was always someone to talk to or play ping pong and Mario Kart with. We also hung out a lot after work, which made up a great summer. My best memory is definitely when I managed to prank all of my teammates, when I filmed us for 5 minutes being dorky and nerdy together while working – a super fun moment that was truly authentic.
Everyone in my team was so genuine, smart and funny, and it’s never been a doubt that everyone played their part in creating a great team. I think one of our key success factors was that we almost always sat and pair-programmed, often with changing pairs. This made everyone familiar with all the parts of the code and lowered the threshold for asking for help.
In addition to learning plenty of new programming skills, I definitely evolved as a team player this summer. I’ve had the opportunity to work with four great teammates, and I’ve had several humbling moments when facing their expertise in situations where I was close to clueless. I’m amazed of how well we have all cooperated, especially when our starting knowledge and expertise differed a lot. Although most of us came here knowing either mainly front- or backend, everyone could contribute to every part of the application in the end.
What would you say to students thinking about joining the camp next year?
JUST DO IT!
I am going to Germany and Croatia with some friends from my exchange last year!
Alexander Snarli, 24
Education: Currently in my last year of a Master’s Degree in Electronics Systems Design and Innovation, specializing in Embedded Systems at NTNU. I am also in my last year of a Bachelor's Degree in Economics.
Team: L-Zeta
How has this camp given you a chance to apply knowledge from your education?
This summer I’ve been working on corrosion detection using computer vision. Thanks to my classes at NTNU I have some experience with classification, but this project has been significantly more challenging. I enjoy a tough challenge, so learning while making progress towards our goal has been a positive experience.
Throughout the camp I believe I have developed both as a data scientist and as a team player. Working in teams on such a big project has given me both a great insight into how professional teams work together, and how I can contribute to a team.
What are some of your best memories of the camp?
One of my favourite days of the camp was during the first week, when I was really getting into the project and had a super productive day. After work, all the interns went out to eat and drink. I feel like this was the day when the interns really got to know each other. I’ve also enjoyed Aizetime every Friday, when the company gathers to summarise and conclude the working week together. It’s been great fun, and an effective way of setting the weekend mood before leaving the office.
Our team was very different from the others in the camp. We had people working from Norway, Lithuania, Spain, The Netherlands, and England, which means we had to do all our communication online. Even though we were a bit skeptical in the beginning, working together online has worked out surprisingly well for us. In addition, the other teams at the office have been welcoming, and there have been many social events happening at the office and after work. I still felt like a part of the group at the office, even though I was not actually collaborating with any of them.
Go for it! There is no doubt you’ll learn a lot while having fun at the office.
What are your plans for the next months?
After the camp, I’ll enjoy the rest of the summer break, before I travel back to Trondheim for my final year at NTNU. This fall I will write my project thesis with a supervisor from Aize, where I’ll be exploring real-time processing of corrosion detection in the field.
“The six weeks went by in no time and I had an amazing summer in Oslo – thank you everyone who participated and made this camp an unforgettable experience!” says Nico Vidoni, instructor of the camp.
With their enthusiasm and relevant set of skills, we’re sure that a bright and exciting future lies ahead of these amazing students. It was a pleasure to have them with us, and we’re already looking forward to next summer! Eager to be part of the next edition of Aize Machine Learning Camp? Keep following us for the latest news!
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