# Meet our 2023 interns

This summer, we had the pleasure of **hosting 14 interns** on our **Engineering and Product teams**! We consider it a **part of Viam’s mission to help train future engineers** and create a world with **lower barriers to entry for improving the world through accessible smart machine technology**. Our interns worked alongside full-timers to work on interesting projects to help build Viam’s platform. Before they left, I spoke with a few of them to learn about their experience this summer.

## Meet the interns interviewed

### Julie Krasnick, University of Michigan ‘24, SDK/NetCode Team
Our team creates software development kits (**SDKs**) that provide idiomatic language wrappers which **allow people to interact with robots in the language of their choice**. Our goal is to enable access to **robot functionality across a range of languages** (including Python, C++, TypeScript, and Flutter). Our team is also responsible for **secure and reliable communication** between the clients (ex: computer, raspberry pi, a phone) and the robot.

### Joyce Jiang, Barnard College of Columbia University ‘24, Product Design
This summer, I interned on the Product Design team, where we work really closely with all of Viam's teams in the office to **understand heuristic analysis** and pain points to develop design solutions. Specifically, we work more closely with product managers and engineers to develop **low and high fidelity wireframes**, as well as the information architecture of a certain feature in order to **lessen the cognitive workload for users** on our platform.

### Alex Jiang, University of Pennsylvania ‘25, Product Management
I had the pleasure of interning on the product team this summer, which is a cross-functional team consisting of **program managers, product managers, and product designers**. As a product management intern, my responsibilities were centered around deciding what **features the company should prioritize** in order to achieve product-market fit.

### Matt Perez, Georgia Tech ‘24, RDK Team
I worked on the RDK (**Robot Development Kit**) team this summer! They’re responsible for **writing and maintaining Viam’s hardware drivers and component software**. The members I worked with closely are tasked with getting Viam working on microcontrollers. It’s been incredibly exciting working with hardware, right on the metal.

### Vignesh Pandiarajan, Brown ‘24, Computer Vision Team
I interned on the Computer Vision team this summer! The CV team takes **input from various sensors and cameras and extracts useful information** through services.

### Sounds fun! So, what was your favorite project or feature that you worked on?

**Julie Krasnick:** The **Viam Mobile App**! Basically, it is a way to **control a robot you built through a mobile application**.

**Joyce Jiang:** My favorite feature that I worked on at Viam is **rethinking the entire fragments experience at Viam to share configuration settings across multiple robots**. The documentation that I worked on this summer thought through many **edge cases and workflows** that could possibly exist regarding fragments, from an individual creating, using, and modifying a fragment. Although this feature isn't as prioritized in Viam's features, the work that I've been doing really **shows the potential that it can bring to the platform** and it was really exciting that I was able to work on it.

**Alex Jiang:** My responsibilities included **conducting market research, flagging usability issues**, meeting with engineers and designers to gain alignment on projects, **mapping out user flows**, and **scoping out new features**. Projects I worked on involved software concepts that I had to learn about, such as **databases, machine learning, and robot hardware**. The most enjoyable part of my job was how **people-oriented** it was.

**Matt Perez:** I worked on two projects this summer; **adding webhook functionality** and **adding modular driver support** to the Micro-RDK. The **Micro-RDK is a lightweight version of Viam’s RDK** that can run on **microcontrollers** such as Espressif’s ESP32.

**Vignesh Pandiarajan:** This summer I worked on **Obstacle Detection Models**. The obstacle detection models provide the user with a way to **grab location information about the obstacles that may exist surrounding their robot**.

### How has Viam provided mentorship to you this summer?

**Julie Krasnick:** My mentor has been **incredibly welcoming and helpful** during my time here. We **meet weekly** to discuss how my internship is going and how life in NYC is!

**Joyce Jiang:** The **mentorship during the internship has been great** 
- I've felt like a **full-time member of the team** since the beginning of my internship.

**Alex Jiang:** My mentorship has been great during my internship! **My mentor taught me so much** by working with me on projects, providing detailed feedback, and inviting me to her meetings with various teams.

**Matt Perez:** My mentor was awesome. I feel that the others in the team played an **active role in mentoring me** throughout my time here and made the experience more enjoyable.

**Vignesh Pandiarajan:** My mentor is one of the **smartest people I've ever met**. Everyone on my team has been great, **always willing to help and super knowledgeable** about anything I might ask about.

### What’s been your favorite part about interning in NYC so far?

**Julie Krasnick:** I love **strolling through Central Park**!

**Alex Jiang:** Honestly everything! **There's always so much to do here**, and I've been able to try something new almost every week.

**Matt Perez:** I've really enjoyed having **so many culinary options** here.

### What’s been your favorite activity so far?

**Julie Krasnick:** Scott’s **Pizza Tour**.

**Joyce Jiang:** The **escape room activity**!

**Alex Jiang:** I'd say the **yacht ride across the Hudson**. It was a **great bonding experience** for the interns, and the food was great!

### How would you describe the interview process?

**Joyce Jiang:** Personally, the **interview process wasn't stressful at all** and more just like a regular conversation.

**Vignesh Pandiarajan:** The **interview process was very smooth**. From the initial phone call to the final interviews, everyone was **super professional and friendly**.

### How does this internship compare to others that you have had?

**Julie Krasnick:** Compared to other internships, Viam is focused on how they can **help me grow into a better individual and software engineer**.

**Matt Perez:** This has been the **best internship** that I've ever had. The people are **intelligent and collaborative**, and the problems and projects are **interesting and exciting**.