What about the UseIT program have you benefited from most?

Being involved in UseIT has boosted my confidence as a computer
programmer and has exposed me to some of the most exciting aspects of
my field. I've loved seeing the different approaches of different
programmers, as well as the interesting problems we are called upon to
solve.

How has your understanding or appreciation for earthquake science
been affected by the UseIT program?

It's very exciting to be at the center of the activity when an
earthquake has happened. I love being able to get all of the
information straight from the people who know the science best - and
it's been so much fun to visit the locations of these earthquakes on
our field trips.

What would you recommend to future UseIT interns?

The internship component of the UseIT experience is only a small part
of what has made my time here great. Take advantage of being in the
city of LA - sightsee, explore, and visit the beaches often! Get to
know USC - it's an amazing campus, for a variety of reasons. Most
importantly, take advantage of the social life and varied perspectives
provided by the presence of the other interns. We only have a limited
time together, so make the most of it! Oh - and take LOTS of pictures.

What is your overall impression of the facilities and equipment?
The intern lab is one of my favorite places in the world. We have at
our hands some amazing technological tools - I wish I had more time to
take full advantage of them. The chairs also work okay for naps if
you need to take a break from a long period of programming :-)

What is the atmosphere or working environment like?

The intern experience is largely self-driven and as a result very
laid back. Outside of our meetings, we largely set our own goals and
work together to achieve them. It's wonderful because it means that
things are very flexible - which is perfect during the summer. It's
nice to have friends on hand who I can throw my questions to if I have
any programming problems - and it's also fun to have friends
to have a laugh with when we all need a short break.

What about the friendships you’ve made while staying here?

For the last two years, I've made some unbelievable friendships with
people from around the country. The interns from my first summer at
SCEC are some of my best friends and we've kept in touch since our
summer together. We even visit eachother when our schedules allow for
it. I'm hoping that the same thing will happen with the friends I
have made this year. The interns are a varied, fun-spirited group who
have opened my eyes to parts of myself I'd never fully explored or
understood. Now that I've gone down these new paths with them, my
life will never be the same - for the better.

Has this program influenced or affected your plans for a career? If
so, how or why?

SCEC opened my eyes to a variety of career possiblities I never even
knew about. This has been very exciting - and very scary, as it's
completely changed my plans for the future. In particular, my intern
experience has made me interested in grad school, which is a very
intimidating next step for me. I also know that even if I don't do
research in the future, the artifacts of my useIT experience will make
me forever interested in a career that allows me to attack the
" interesting questions" in a creative way.

What have you done in the UseIT program this summer?

As a returning intern I've contributed as much as I can to help with
the knowledge transfer from last summer's product to this summer's
interns. I've also continued work on finding ways to make our program
work on an intuitive, user-friendly level. Although my interest in
GUI design and program organization has persisted this year, I've been
most interested in "navigation by clicking" - using intuitive mouse
actions such as a double-click to center and zoom in on a spot. My
hope is that, by the end of the summer, I will be able to expand
navigation by clicking to do things such as zoom in on a selected 2D
space and do graphical catalog filtering. I've also done a lot of
tinkering around with importing 3D image files into the software,
although they are just for fun :-)