What about the UseIT program have you benefited from most?

Because the UseIT program boasted interns from several, and widely
varied, majors it created an environment that was conducive to shared
learning. With different specializations and interests, we all found
things to contribute to the group and much to learn from it. As one of
two interns with no programming experience, I found it highly
beneficial to approach so broad a field of study with so many
experienced programmers ready and willing to assist me.

What would you recommend to future UseIT interns?

Upon acceptance to the program you will quickly receive a plethora of
emails, most of which will serve to mystify your sensibilities and do
very little in helping you to determine just what your summer duties
might entail. When you arrive at USC your mind will be further dazzled
and confused by the sheer amount of information initially presented to
you. My advice is this, absorb as much of all this as you can and
don't stress about the details (I still can't tell you the differences
between strike, dip, and rake). And most importantly, listen to your
mentors when they tell you that things will all come together in the
third week of the program. I don't pretend to understand it, but there
is some sort of magical enlightenment that everyone reaches at exactly
the same time.

What is the atmosphere or working environment like?

The atmosphere at UseIT is a highly successful combination of work and
school. Less dull and tedious than lectures, and more collaborative
and social than work, the program creates an environment in which
interns learn by doing and do by teaching others. The line between
working and learning is often hard for me to draw exactly, but at the
end of the summer I have learned a great deal and have much to show
for it, in testament to the success of the working environment. That,
and we get pizza parties.

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

I don't pretend to understand the selection process behind choosing
the summer UseIT interns, but I do know that they somehow manage to
collect a group of some of the most eccentric and interesting people
ever gathered in one spot. The friendships I have made extend beyond
the workplace to nights, weekends, and the occasional pool party. I
couldn't have asked for a better group of friends and colleagues with
which to spend my summer.

What have you done in the UseIT program this summer?

Early in the summer I took on a project intended to allow the user
greater flexibility in the selection of California cities displayed.
As the summer progressed the project evolved to include the many
" bells and whistles" it now entails. Working collaboratively with my
colleagues, I expanded a primitive Label Plugin to include collections
of cities, populations, SCEC Institutions, intern schools and even a
search function to display a city of particular significance. These
additions to SCEC-VDO will allow the end user a broader spatial
reference and easier navigation within the program, as well as a
heightened sense of the social consequences an earthquake in any given
California location would entail.