Google Student Blog: November 2012

Google Code-in 2012 contest starts today!

November 26, 2012

Cross-posted from the Google Open Source Blog … and Go! The Google Code-in 2012 contest has officially started! If you are a 13-17 year old pre-university (high school) student interested in computer science who would like to learn more about open source software development while earning cool prizes, sign up on our program site today. Students have the opportunity to select tasks from 5 categories (coding, documentation/training, quality assurance, research/outreach and user interface) that are designed by 10 open source organizations that will provide mentors for the students. Students earn certificates, t-shirts and Grand Prize Winners will win a trip for themselves and a parent or legal guardian to Google’s Mountain View California campus in 2013. Each of the 10 open source organizations will choose 2 of the 5 students that complete the most tasks with their organization as their Grand Prize Winners for a total of 20 Grand Prize Winners for Google Code-in 2012- that’s twice as many Grand Prize Winners as last year!
Contest RulesFrequently Asked Questionsprogram sitediscussion listcalendarprogram siteGoogle Code-in Hangout on AirGoogle Open Source Student Programs YouTube ChannelBy Stephanie Taylor, Google Open Source Programs

Application tips for the 2013 Google Scholarships in Europe, Middle East and Africa

November 21, 2012

Google Anita Borg Memorial ScholarshipGoogle Scholarship for Students with Disabilitieshttp://www.google.com/anitaborg/emeahttp://google.com/studentswithdisabilities-europe

Discover the world of open source with Google Code-in 2012

November 20, 2012

Cross posted from the Official Google BlogGoogle Code-in

10 different open source organizations

Some of the 2011 Google Code-in Grand Prize Winners by the Golden Gate BridgeFrequently Asked Questionscontest rulesprogram sitescreencastsample tasksdiscussion listtimelineprogram siteHangout on AirBy Stephanie Taylor, Open Source Programs

Check out the recording from our Technical Internships Hangout On Air

November 14, 2012

google.com/students/intern

Launch Your Career - Apply for an internship at Google in Europe, Middle East and Africa

November 8, 2012

It’s that time of year when most of our summer interns have returned back to campus, and we begin our search for the next class of technical interns who are ready to make an impact in 2013. It’s also a nice time to reflect on all the fun intern activities that have taken place such as hiking trips in the Swiss Alps, riding segways through Munich in the rain and visiting salt mines in Krakow.

In addition to all the fun, interns in EMEA contribute to large scale projects, help launch products and features, attend seminars, take part in competitions, meet lots of smart people from all over the world and sometimes, get to witness a little bit of history through the first intern exchange visit with CERN!

Interns in EMEA have the opportunity to work in 12 different countries and take part in different programs to suit their skills and background. This year we introduced STEP (Summer Trainee Engineering Program) internships for engineering students who have completed the first year of their university studies. The program is based in London, Munich, Krakow and Zurich. Applications for the 2013 STEP internships (formerly Engineering Trainee Summer Program) are now open, check out the application page on Google Students site for more information.

In addition to STEP, there is a specific program for students who study computer science at an African University. The Africa Trainee Program is based in Zurich and is an opportunity to spend the summer working with engineers and program managers on the Emerging Markets team. Franklin Ochieng, an intern from this year’s class, shared his experience as an intern in the Diary of a Summer Intern series and had this to say:
Here at Google, I have learnt best practices, I have learnt to optimize, I have learnt to secure, I have learnt to design, I have learnt foresight, I have learnt teamwork, I have learnt to pay attention to detail. I've seen my code improve tremendously throughout the summer thanks to this review process. Basically, I have learnt to code like the professionals, like a real programmer.

Applications for this program are also open now, check out our application page for more information. You must be a student and you must be studying at a university based in Africa.

If you are interested in becoming part of any of our intern programs in EMEA, apply here for our 2013 internships. You’ll have the chance to work on impactful projects and have a world class internship experience!
Posted by Emma Edwards, College Recruiter - Europe, Middle East and Africa

My Summer @ Google: Summer Trainee Engineering Program

November 7, 2012

As the last of our EMEA Summer Trainee Engineering Program (STEP) interns finish up for summer 2012, we sat down with two of our London based interns to discuss their time at Google, what their plans are for the future and quizzed them for more insights into STEP for next year’s students! We’re also pleased to announce that applications are available for STEP 2013.

Tell us your name, university, major and any other relevant background info. Elena: My name is Elena, I’m currently going into my second year at Bucharest University, studying computer science. The last relevant thing I did prior to STEP was a Girls Programming Camp at college. I first started programming in high school but participated in mathematics competitions before that.

Mariana: My name is Mariana, I’m currently going into my third year at the Politehnica University in Bucharest, studying computer science. In high school I was really into mathematics and physics, but now l enjoy informatics, the logic behind it, as well as solving problems.

How did you find out about the STEP Internship?
Elena: Actually this is funny. I accidentally saw a friend like a link to STEP applications on a social network and didn’t expect to get a response so quickly after applying!

Mariana: I saw an email from a Google Student Ambassador at Politehnica and applied, as I thought this internship suited me very well.

Why did you apply?
Elena: I already had lots of plans for the summer but I thought it would be interesting to do interviews and have the experience of doing some phone interviews at Google!

Mariana: I thought it would be nice to apply for an internship at Google. The perception is that for standard internships, you need to be in your 4th year or beyond but this internship is targeted at students in the earlier years of their studies. It sounded great so I thought, why not apply?

What did you do during your time at Google?
Elena: I worked on the Mobile team and did lots of coding! I worked on re-writing some code, refactoring as well as implementing a UI!

Mariana: I worked on Geo, mainly on front end work. I also learnt to interact with loads of people in different areas as the project used lots of different technologies.

What was your favourite part?
Elena: Absolutely everything ...well, after finishing reading tutorials! The first two weeks were overwhelming and tough, but after that I found my feet.

Mariana: I loved meeting new people and finding out about their projects. I also enjoyed working on a visual project and to see people excited about some aspects of my work during my final presentation was great!

What did you get out of STEP? What skills did you gain?
Elena: I enjoyed learning from hands on experience rather than only doing coursework. It was great to learn more about Google specific technologies and new concepts like version control. I also got a taste of managing a healthy work-life-balance.

Mariana: I learnt what writing good code is all about. I also learnt how to apply the things that I learnt and discussing different methods with others was also fun.

What are the next steps for you?
Elena: I’m going back to university and would like to do a summer internship every year from now.

Mariana: I’m going back to my 3rd year and looking forward to a graphics course and catching up with friends. I’m also actually looking forward to homework and coding assignments. Hopefully next year I’ll be back at Google!

Do you have any advice for anyone considering applying to the STEP Internship?
Elena: Yes: once you find out what team you will work with, read as much as you can beforehand.

Mariana: Just APPLY. Send your CV - don’t think too much about it and you will be fine :)

Posted by Farrah Djohan, Intern Programs

Upcoming Hangout on Air: Technical Internships at Google

November 6, 2012

Friday, November 9th at 10 am PST/1 pm ESTGoogle Students page on Google+google.com/students/internPosted by Jacqueline Pan, University and Intern Program

Upcoming Hangout on Air: 2013 Google Scholarships for Europe, Middle East and Africa

November 1, 2012

2013 Google Scholarships in EMEA announcementHangout on Air on Monday, November 5 at 16:30 GMT hereGoogle Students page on Google+

hereGoogle Students YouTube Channel

http://www.google.com/anitaborg/emea/

http://www.google.com/studentswithdisabilities-europe/index.html

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