Name: Abhishikta Bandyopadhyay

Pronouns: She/Her

Semester of Internship: Summer 2024

Major: CSEE

Current Class Level:Doctoral Student

This semester I completed a(n):Internship

Internship, Co-op, or Research Site (Company/Organization Name):Microsoft

Location of the Organization (City, State): Redmond, WA

Title of Position: Applied and Data Scientist

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities:

This summer, I had the opportunity to intern at Microsoft, where I worked on an exciting project focused on developing and enhancing Small Language Models (SLMs) for Windows Event Summarization. My day-to-day responsibilities involved working closely with data, conducting research on language model optimization, and experimenting with model architectures to improve the accuracy and efficiency of event summarization tasks. I collaborated with cross-functional teams, participated in daily stand-ups, and delivered key updates on the model's progress. Additionally, I was responsible for coding and testing model prototypes, analyzing their performance, and refining them based on feedback and evaluation metrics. The experience gave me hands-on exposure to advanced machine learning techniques, as well as the opportunity to present my work to senior engineers and stakeholders at Microsoft.

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

I first learned about the opportunity to intern at Microsoft through their university recruiting program, which I had been following closely. I submitted my application in the fall of 2022, during the early recruitment cycle for their summer internships. After submitting my resume and project portfolio, I went through a series of technical interviews, including coding challenges and problem-solving tasks, which tested my knowledge in machine learning, data science, and software development. The interviews were challenging yet rewarding, as they allowed me to showcase my skills while also providing insight into Microsoft’s innovative projects. Following the interview rounds, I was thrilled to receive an offer for the internship, which I eagerly accepted for Summer 2023. This summer I returned to Microsoft for my second internship.

What resources did you use to find your current experience?
Handshake 

What have you enjoyed the most about your position and organization?
What I enjoyed most about my position was the opportunity to meet people from various schools like Princeton, UPenn, Howard etc. Learning about their diverse college experiences was really interesting and gave me new perspectives. I also loved talking to teenagers during the interviews. Since I was once a teenager myself, I found many of the topics we discussed relatable, which made the conversations more engaging. Additionally, I really appreciated the chance to shadow my PI, who is a pediatrician. It gave me valuable insight into the field of pediatrics, which is my passion.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

I made an impact by creating a more engaging and comfortable environment for the teens during interviews, making it easier for them to open up and express themselves. As someone young who could relate to their experiences, I helped them feel understood and safe. In the specific lab I worked at, most researchers were young adults who weren’t very active on social media, so I was able to bridge the gap and bring a fresh perspective to our discussions about adolescent relationships and social media.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

My advice for another student seeking an internship is to start early, be proactive, and make your application show how excited you are about the opportunity. After applying on the organization’s website, send a follow-up email to show your passion for the position. Use resources like Handshake to find internships, and don’t worry if you don’t meet every requirement, focus on your strengths and what makes you a good fit. Also, talk to mentors or professors for advice and take advantage of networking to learn from others.

Most importantly, don’t give up. Keep applying, and if you face rejection, recognize what you can improve in your application. Remember, rejection is just redirection.

Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / working with the Career Center.

“What I enjoyed most about my position at Microsoft was the opportunity to work on innovative machine learning projects that had a real-world impact, while being part of a collaborative and supportive team. The Career Center was instrumental in my success, offering guidance on refining my resume, preparing for interviews, and connecting me with internship opportunities that aligned with my career goals.”

The Career Center works very hard to ensure that job postings in Handshake are legitimate. However, scammers are becoming more and more creative, especially through direct offer emails.

The Career Center is here to support you. If you encounter a position that you fear may be fraudulent, don’t hesitate to reach out to us careers@umbc.edu

Below we provide some helpful information to assist you with spotting scams before engaging with them.

• Look at the email domain of the sender (john@gmail vs. john@avalidcompany) Be CAUTIOUS if the domain does not match the domain of the company. Emails from UMBC will always come from a UMBC email address.

• NEVER provide your credit card, bank account numbers, social security number or other financial documentation.

• BE CAUTIOUS of an employer offering a check before work has commenced and NEVER deposit a check before work has commenced. This is almost always a scam. 

• NEVER engage with an employer that requires an initial investment, such as a payment by wire.

• BE CAUTIOUS of an employer whose posting includes many spelling and grammatical errors.

• BE CAUTIOUS of an employer who asks for anything out of the ordinary such as a picture of you or who is not operating by normal hiring procedures, such as hiring you without interviewing you.

• Google the employer’s phone number, fax number and/or email address. If it does not appear connected to an actual business organization, this is a red flag. Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org/us/consumers/), Hoovers (http://www.hoovers.com/) and AT&T’s Anywho (http://www.anywho.com/) can be used to verify organizations.

Scammers often use phishing emails. Some key things to note are:

• The FROM address on an email can easily be spoofed/faked. Just because an email you receive looks like it came from an “@umbc.edu” address or someone you know, does not always mean it actually came from that person.

• Some people may ask,“How does a scammer get my UMBC email address in the first place?”Your email address is not private information. If someone knows your name, they can look up your UMBC email address in the campus directory, or if you have your email address attached to social media or other online accounts and those get hacked, or if someone you know has had their email hacked, etc.  There are many different ways your email address can end up in the hands of a scammer. 

• Never click on the links in a phishing message.  Just by clicking on the link, you may download a malicious program onto your computer.

• For more information from DoIT on phishing, click HERE.

• Please see the information and recommendations from DoIT at UMBC about online safety and best practices HERE.

If you feel that you have already been scammed, there are important steps you should take.

• If you have already given your personal information, you should follow DoIT's recommendations.  You may want to alert the campus police about your particular concerns.

• ***In order to assist the DoIT Security Team's investigation, recipients of the email should send security@umbc.edu a notification including the full header set of the message. These headers are not normally displayed but can be easily accessed. For more instruction on how to send the full header set of the message, please refer to: https://wiki.umbc.edu/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=1867970 

• If you have already fallen victim to this scam and transferred funds to someone, please file a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. They can be reached at the following web address: Internet Crime Complaint Center

• If you have not wired money to the criminals, please stop communicating with them. You should still report the situation to the campus police and follow DoIT’s instructions.  There is no need to report it to the FBI. 

*You will continue to receive scam emails periodically from all types of sources.  Please refer to Page 65 of the Career Guide - "Is this Posting for Real?". HERE is a link to that page. For a more in depth look at how to evaluate employer emails and identify fraudulent offer, please see the Career Center page on Fraudulent Jobs & Email Scams HERE.

Handshake also provides information on How to Spot and Report Scams.

Disclaimer

UMBC is not responsible for employers’ representations or guarantees with regard to job postings, nor is it responsible for wages, working conditions, safety, or other work-related issues that may arise after placement with an employer. UMBC is not responsible for fraudulent job postings, however if a job listed on UMBCworks is found to be fraudulent, please report it immediately to careers@umbc.edu or call 410-455-2216 so that it can be removed from UMBCworks and any other applicants can be notified.