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Google at Grace Hopper: Google Women Engineer Spotlights
September 30, 2014
The annual
Grace Hopper Conference
is just one week away! Before the festivities officially kick off, we’re shining the spotlight on several Google Women Engineers (GWEs) who have been nominated by Googlers for the great work that they do and the contributions they have made as women in the tech industry.
Today, we’re featuring Sri Velagapudi.
Can you share with us your role at Google?
I have been with Google for over four years and have been a software engineer for over 11. I currently work in an interesting overlap between Google search and Google Now on Android/IOS.
What do you enjoy most about being a woman in tech (or at Google specifically)?
I enjoy being in tech because it allows for a lot of creative freedom with minimal setup cost. Google takes that further by facilitating side projects and even providing a platform to share through demo sessions! I am happy to be a woman in tech at a time when everyone recognizes the importance of tech education and diversity within tech. I have met several inspiring engineers along the way and I hope to meet many more.
What are you looking forward to most at the Grace Hopper Conference?
Last year, I presented a poster on Stereotype Threat and attended several interesting sessions including a speed-mentoring session. That is where I met many several senior technologists and also met a student that then joined my team as a summer intern!
This year, a few of us are presenting a session on how to do good (for the world) while also improving your tech portfolio. I am really looking forward to this. Working on pet projects provides a safe place to experiment, take risks, fail, try again and learn. Our goal in this session is to help participants understand the importance of this process and to help them select a project that also gives back to society.
This year's GHC is even larger, so I am waiting to simply absorb the enthusiasm and excitement. If I had to pick, however, I would say I am very eager about the poster session. I am always impressed by the kind of interesting problems presented and the elegant solutions that are offered. It fills my stomach with butterflies.
Also, this year, my mother and my cousin are both presenting posters for the very first time. I look forward to cheering them on.
To follow the fun at Grace Hopper and the lead-up to the celebration, check out Google Students on
Google+
and
Twitter
using our
#GoogleGHC14
hashtag. Stay tuned for more GWE spotlights here on our blog.
Posted by Shawn Dye, University Programs Team
Google at Grace Hopper: Google Women Engineer Spotlights
September 29, 2014
The annual
Grace Hopper Celebration
is just one week away! Before the festivities officially kick off, we’re shining the spotlight on several Google Women Engineers (GWEs) who have been nominated by Googlers for the great work that they do and the contributions they have made as women in the tech industry.
Today, we’re featuring Sabrina Williams!
Can you share with us your role at Google?
I am what we call a Software Engineer in Test (SET) at Google. The title can be a little misleading - people often think that we focus on writing tests, but that isn’t quite true. We SETs are a specialized version of the typical Software Engineer (SWE); whereas a SWE focuses on creating products for our users, a SET focuses on creating tools, frameworks, and processes that make our engineers more productive. I currently work in the Ads Engineering Productivity group, but I've also been a SET on
Google Cloud Print
and
Google Glass
. Some of our focuses include code health, release efficiency, test efficacy, and designing for testability.
What do you enjoy most about being a woman in tech (or at Google specifically!)?
I have been afforded so many opportunities to meet some spectacular women who have had a positive effect on me, both professionally and personally. Just as some have served as a role model for me, I try to be a good role model for others. It is nice to be part of such a positive cycle. For example, I am currently on rotation with the Google-in-Residence program where I am teaching computer science courses at Howard University. Speaking of teaching (shameless plug), you should totally come to my talk next Friday afternoon that I’m giving at Grace Hopper on Test-Driven Development. It’ll be super fun.
What are you looking forward to most at the Grace Hopper Celebration?
Come see us at the Career Fair to find out more about the various types of software engineering roles we have available. It may be a mob scene at the Google booth, but it is my favorite part of the conference because I get to meet a ton of bright, talented women (even some future Googlers!). In fact, that’s one of my favorite things about being at Google.
To follow the fun at Grace Hopper and the lead-up to the celebration, check out Google Students on
Google+
and
Twitter
using our #GoogleGHC14 hashtag! Stay tuned for more GWE spotlights here on our blog!
Posted by Shawn Dye, University Programs Team
Google at Grace Hopper 2014
September 29, 2014
Google is excited to announce their presence at the upcoming
Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
, sponsored by the
Anita Borg Institute
in Phoenix, Arizona on October 8-10, 2014. Google has been attending the Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) for over a decade, and we are proud to show our long-standing dedication to this conference by partnering at the highest level as a Visionary Platinum Sponsor. Google has been working with the Anita Borg Institute (ABI) since 2004, and Alan Eustace, Senior Vice President, Knowledge joined the ABI board in 2006 and continues to sit on the ABI Board of Trustees. Google has been recognized as an official ABI partner since 2006.
GHC is the largest gathering of women in tech and their allies, and we plan on showing our support by bringing 450 Googlers in various capacities. Our participants include engineers, who will be leading panels and talks, and People Operations experts who will be answering questions about available roles and processes.
In addition to the events taking place and a constant presence at the career fair, we will also be holding a series of events each evening, including receptions celebrating Black and Latina women in technical roles.
We look forward to celebrating with everyone attending Grace Hopper in Phoenix next week. Please stop by booth 716 to check out the Google
self-driving car
, test out
Cardboard
and speak with Googlers who are excited to meet you!
To follow the fun at Grace Hopper and the lead-up to the celebration, check out Google Students on
Google+
and
Twitter
using our #GoogleGHC14 hashtag. Remember to check back here for stories of GWEs (Google Women Engineers) and more about our plans at the conference.
Posted by Sidnie Davis, University Programs Team
Google Intern Insights 2014 - Meet Josep Ballester
September 15, 2014
From Google Glass to Project Loon, Adwords to Docs, our interns have the opportunity to work on some of Google’s most cutting edge and innovative projects. Interns also work across sales and other business functions, bringing a fresh perspective to the work done at Google. To show you just how much of an impact interns make and to highlight their unique experiences, we’re bringing you a special blog series: Google Intern Insights. Make sure to stroll through the blog to check out other interns who have been featured on the blog throughout the summer! Also, our technical internships for summer 2015 are now open! Apply
here
.
Josep Ballester studies Industrial Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain.
Tell us one fun, outlandish fact about you!
I have a twin brother.
What inspired you to apply for this internship, and what made Google appealing to you as a potential intern?
I initially applied for a Google internship because of my love for Google products. I believed that Google would allow me to work on cool things with exceptional people. When the opportunity to intern came, I took it without a doubt.
What team are you working on at Google? Can you provide us with a high-level description of your summer project?
I work on the Small and Medium Businesses (SMB) Services team, helping advertisers improve their businesses. My specific project revolves around improving customer satisfaction.
What’s the best part about working with your team?
They are always easy to work with and we've all become good friends.
Outside of being a Google intern, what are some fun things you do outside the classroom/office throughout the year?
I love to travel. It really doesn't matter where. I just like to learn new things and meet new people. I also really like to ski.
We all know Googlers and interns love the food and the other benefits. Outside of some of the well-known perks, what’s your favorite part about working at Google?
First, the people. Everyone is super kind and helpful. I also like the fact that interns work right alongside full-time employees.
Best overheard conversation in a MK/cafe/elevator
I once had breakfast next to a Googler I didn’t know and we ended up chatting. A few days later, I found out that he’s an important manager.
What’s something you’ve accomplished during your internship (thus far) that you’re most proud of? Or something you’re looking forward to working on?
Throughout my internship, all of the customers I’ve interacted with have given me positive feedback.
Dream Google office to visit?
Headquarters in Mountain View, California.
What does “being Googley” mean to you?
Being Googley means always thinking about what you can do to improve things. Be involved in what you like and what you do.
If you could give one piece of advice to potential student applicants, what would it be?
First of all, apply! Don’t be afraid and also apply as early as possible. Make sure to prepare for the interviews and don’t forget to be yourself!
Best gFit class?
It’s not a class but having a swimming pool in the office is awesome!
What were your biggest concerns when relocating for the position when it comes to accessibility?
The public transportation and housing accommodations in Dublin. You have to be comfortable in order to work well!
If a student with mobility restrictions were reluctant to consider a position at Google, what would you tell them?
That there's no need to worry - Googlers are very helpful. Also, Google’s buildings are the most accessible buildings I have ever been in ... seriously.
Want to learn more about internships at Google? Check out our
Student Careers Site
. Additionally, follow
Google Students
on Google+ and use the hashtag #googleinterns to keep up with Intern Insights this summer.
Posted by Maggie Hohlfeld, University Programs Team
Google Intern Insights 2014 - Meet Jocelyn Schulz
September 12, 2014
From Google Glass to Project Loon, Adwords to Docs, our interns have the opportunity to work on some of Google’s most cutting edge and innovative projects. Interns also work across sales and other business functions, bringing a fresh perspective to the work done at Google. To show you just how much of an impact interns make and to highlight their unique experiences, we’re bringing you a special blog series: Google Intern Insights. Make sure to stroll through the blog to check out other interns who have been featured on the blog throughout the summer! Also, our technical internships for summer 2015 are now open! Apply
here
.
Tell us one fun, outlandish fact about you!
For a few years during my childhood, I would go to the pet store and buy feeder mice just so I could raise them and give them a life that didn’t involve becoming a snake's dinner.
What inspired you to apply for this internship, and what made Google appealing to you as a potential intern?
I interned at Google in Mountain View during the summer of 2012 and had a good experience. The next summer, I interviewed again for a Google internship. After having a bad experience during the interview that was out of my control, I decided to cut my losses and declined a second interview. I looked for other opportunities after it didn't work out with Google and ended up receiving a Turing Fellowship for the summer. It allowed me to intern for a startup in NYC and I had a fantastic time. If any advice were to come out of this, it would be to apply for internships as early as possible! Especially if you're applying for a smaller internship program. The earlier you apply, the more hosts are available for you to potentially match with, and the more buffer time is available should something go wrong along the way.
What has been your path to your current internship at Google?
I was briefly introduced to computer science in high school and thought artificial intelligence was really cool. I decided to become a CS major in college, and then applied for my first Google internship as a freshman on a whim. The summer after my sophomore year, I was awarded a Turing Fellowship and matched with an ed-tech startup in NYC called Knewton. I interned at Knewton for the summer and then stayed on as a part-time software engineer during the school year. I really liked working in the city and wanted to get a taste of a slightly different focus, which is where my current internship on the Cloud team at Google comes in.
What team are you working on at Google? Can you provide us with a high-level description of your summer project?
I’m working on the Google Cloud Platform, specifically within Developer Projects. My main project this summer was to integrate projects so that users can manage their Cloud Projects right from the command line.
Favorite Doogler?
The beautiful Harlow, even though she breaks my heart by living on the other side of the continent in SF.
What’s the best part about working with your manager? What about your team?
My manager, Dave, is really goofy and easy to talk to, and he always has great input. The rest of my team is on the west coast and Google makes it easy to work remotely, so I was lucky enough to spend a few weeks visiting them. They range from sassy to stoic, but each and every one is so kind, approachable, and beyond intelligent, which are invaluable qualities in a co-worker.
Best gFit class?
That’s really tough. I’ve tried the majority of the ones here in NYC, and I have to say the classes I will miss the most are Kerry Ann King’s wacky, yet brilliant themed boot camps, and Stephen Moore’s invigorating yoga.
We all know Googlers and interns love the food and the other benefits. Outside of some of the well-known perks, what’s your favorite part about working at Google?
This internship has been my favorite so far because I'm genuinely happy to go to work everyday. There are two perks that contribute to this: 1) I love my team. I went through a few rounds of host-matching before I found one I thought I'd mesh with, and though it was a bit nerve-wrecking, it made all the difference in my desire to go work each day. 2) The fitness classes are way too good. It's great to be able to spend an hour a day just clearing my head and then conveniently go right back to work.
What’s something you’ve accomplished during your internship (thus far) that you’re most proud of? Or something you’re looking forward to working on?
I was able to complete my project about a month early and release it to Google users to test. Getting positive feedback and questions about it from other Googlers I didn't even know was such a good feeling, since it affirmed that my work actually mattered and helped people. I'm excited for it to be publicly available.
Best intern event you’ve attended?
The NYC kick-off summer intern event was a boat cruise. But we were actually on a dock. There was a small boat tied off, but we weren't allowed on it!
What does “being Googley” mean to you?
To me it simply means being a good person and having a desire to make users' lives easier.
If you could give one piece of advice to potential student applicants, what would it be?
Practice your technical interview skills! If you know your stuff and can express that eloquently, you'll kill it.
Want to learn more about internships at Google? Check out our
Student Careers Site
. Additionally, follow
Google Students
on Google+ and use the hashtag #googleinterns to keep up with Intern Insights this summer.
Posted by Maggie Hohlfeld, University Programs Team
The Chromebook Lending Library is coming to campus
September 12, 2014
Chromebooks are college-bound this fall. Introducing the Chromebook Lending Library.
The Chromebook Lending Library is traveling to 12 college campuses across the U.S. loaded with the latest Chromebooks. The Lending Library is a bit like your traditional library, but instead of books, we're letting students borrow Chromebooks (no library card needed). Students can use a Chromebook during the week for life on campus— whether it’s in class, during an all-nighter, or browsing the internet in their dorm.
Chromebooks are a new type of computer that helps students get things done faster and easier. They have the battery life you need to study all night and are light enough to slip easily into a bag or backpack. With Google Maps, Drive, and Gmail, important information is stored in the cloud, so students no longer need to worry about losing documents, pics, music, and more. The days of losing a paper are over!
We hope you can swing by the Chromebook Lending Library for a little study break this fall. Check out chromebook.com/forcollege for all the details and spread the word with #ChromebookforCollege. And if the tour isn’t hitting your campus this fall, you can follow along on
Twitter
and
Google+
.
Posted by Lindsay Rumer, Chrome Marketing
(Cross-posted on the
Google Education Blog
.)
Google Intern Insights 2014 - Meet Alice Chang
September 10, 2014
From Google Glass to Project Loon, Adwords to Docs, our interns have the opportunity to work on some of Google’s most cutting edge and innovative projects. Interns also work across sales and other business functions, bringing a fresh perspective to the work done at Google. To show you just how much of an impact interns make and to highlight their unique experiences, we’re bringing you a special blog series: Google Intern Insights. Make sure to stroll through the blog to check out other interns who have been featured on the blog throughout the summer! Also, our technical internships for summer 2015 are now open! Apply
here
.
Alice is a rising junior at the University of Chicago majoring in Computer Science and Economics. Her hometown is Rockville, MD!
Tell us one fun, outlandish fact about you!
In the fifth grade, I won a pie on Pi Day for reciting one hundred digits of Pi.
What inspired you to apply for this internship, and what made Google appealing to you as a potential intern?
The Summer Trainee Engineering Program (STEP) internship in EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) was a great option for me, as it’s targeted at underclassmen seeking industry exposure to tech. Working in Zurich has been an invaluable learning experience - it’s shown me just how much international collaboration goes into so many of my favorite Google products. Not to mention, the “Zoogle” office itself is just plain crazy and fun.
For such a large, multinational corporation, I’ve found that Google does a surprisingly good job at retaining a startup-like culture. Googlers are constantly working on new and innovative projects (Google Fiber! Project Loon!), and they’re encouraged to pursue ideas that are different and wacky because you never know what might lead to something awesome. Moreover, I’m incredibly appreciative of the fact that Google is spearheading the diversity in tech movement through initiatives, such as
Made with Code
.
What team are you working on at Google? Can you provide us with a high-level description of your summer project?
I’m working with YouTube MDx (Multi-Device Experience) here at Google. We strive to make the YouTube viewing experience available across a variety of device platforms. For my project, I am making the multi-user experience on YouTube TV more engaging and social by delivering specific forms of visual feedback in response to user actions.
What’s the best part about working with your manager? What about your team?
My manager, Johnny, is super friendly and supportive. He had a fairly hands-on mentality toward this internship so I didn’t spend excessive amounts of time studying codelabs, but instead was able to pick up the skills I needed by jumping straight into my project. At the same time, he’s a treasure trove of knowledge and is always only a ping away. The level of autonomy and creative flexibility I’ve been given has been highly empowering. I constantly feel like my voice and vision are heard at design meetings and one-on-ones.
On Friday afternoons, right before TGIF, my team always has “video time.” Basically, this involves streaming funny cat videos and movie trailers on the big TV screen in the office. Granted, the unofficial Google motto is “Dogs are cool, cats are evil,” but something about being a YouTuber seems to make one partial to felines...
Outside of being a Google intern, what are some fun things you do outside the classroom/office throughout the year?
I’m really passionate about CS initiatives. At school, I’m currently working with a team to start a UChicago chapter of FEMMES (Females Excelling More in Math, Engineering and Science), which is a Duke-founded program that encourages elementary school girls to engage in STEM. At UChicago, we’re launching FEMMES with the specific mission to target the CS gender gap. We’re currently gearing up for a student-led day-of-coding event for next spring, where we’ll introduce girls from local low-income schools to CS through hands-on activities and mentorship.
Additionally, I’m involved with an entrepreneurship and innovation group called EnvisionDo. Earlier this year, we brought in Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian to speak to the student body about Internet entrepreneurship. Aside from that, you can find me spiriting for our Maroons on the UC Cheer Team!
Best intern event you’ve attended?
The Intern Pub Quiz was great. It took place during the intern summit, when a ton of tech interns from all over EMEA came to Zurich to meet and mingle. We competed in a bunch of kooky categories - what’s that close-up, name that sound, etc. - for three hours! Everyone was yelling and laughing and jumping around by the end. And best of all, my team won! The prize? A swanky Google swag bag ... and eternal glory, of course.
We all know Googlers and interns love the food and the other benefits. Outside of some of the well-known perks, what’s your favorite part about working at Google?
I love how laid-back the culture is. At the end of the day, we’re all here for the same reasons: to deliver a great product and make some real change. Like I said, there’s definitely a startup-y feel to Google, yet the systems are incredibly structured and precise, and they teach you a lot about working in a massive codebase. Furthermore, Googlers are really friendly and open to questions. I learn something new every day!
What’s something you’ve accomplished during your internship (thus far) that you’re most proud of? Or something you’re looking forward to working on?
Participating in ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) has been a huge source of enrichment. Ever since coming to Google, I’ve been fairly involved with GWE (Google Women Engineers). Last month, I was even given the opportunity to moderate a panel at the first-ever Zurich women’s summit! It was incredibly empowering to be in a room full of such ambitious, accomplished women. GWE at Zurich have a go-getter “If you can dream it, you can do it” attitude in terms of pitching and planning events, so currently, I’m working on implementing a female mentoring program for Nooglers. It’s crazy to see how much responsibility you’re allowed to take on as an intern. I love that we have the opportunity to make a real, tangible impact.
Best meal at Google so far?
The feta “salad” that started randomly appearing one day was pretty darn incredible. It was basically enormous blocks of feta cheese mixed in with the occasional olive.
Dream Google office to visit?
Krakow. I hear the bathrooms have hot tubs!
What does “being Googley” mean to you?
Being Googley means embracing the spirit of innovation. It means always questioning existing methods and ways of doing things in order to arrive at a brand-new, creative solution. It means keeping an open mind to new ideas and opinions, even when they differ from your own.
If you could give one piece of advice to potential student applicants, what would it be?
Just be yourself. Google celebrates differences, so take whatever makes you special and run with it. Don’t feel like you have to fit into a standardized template for tech. That being said, one concrete piece of advice is to prepare yourself mentally for the interviews. Coding on a whiteboard or over the phone requires a slightly different mentality, so give yourself the best chances possible by doing a few mock interviews in a realistic setting before the real deal.
Want to learn more about internships at Google? Check out our
Student Careers Site
. Additionally, follow
Google Students
on Google+ and use the hashtag #googleinterns to keep up with Intern Insights this summer.
Posted by Maggie Hohlfeld, University Programs Team
Google Intern Insights 2014 - Meet Christian De Angelis
September 5, 2014
From Google Glass to Project Loon, Adwords to Docs, our interns have the opportunity to work on some of Google’s most cutting edge and innovative projects. Interns also work across sales and other business functions, bringing a fresh perspective to the work done at Google. To show you just how much of an impact interns make and to highlight their unique experiences, we’re bringing you a special blog series: Google Intern Insights. Make sure to stroll through the blog to check out other interns who have been featured on the blog throughout the summer! Also, our technical internships for summer 2015 are now open! Apply
here
.
Tell us one fun, outlandish fact about you!
I once started a Facebook post that ended up with 100,000 comments! It went on for several months until the group moderators eventually deleted it.
What inspired you to apply for this internship, and what made Google appealing to you as a potential intern?
In 2011 I was part of the Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) in Mountain View. We were taught the fundamentals of HTML, CSS, Javascript and App Engine. The experience was amazing and I made tons of lasting friends. Since then, I made a goal for myself that I would do my hardest to try and land an internship position before I finished my undergrad program.
What has been your path to your current internship at Google?
I applied for a Software Engineering Intern position twice before, and was rejected both times. I personally think it was due to my shaky technical knowledge at the time. I was trying to understand the basics of multiple programming languages without ever focusing on a specific language to attain a deeper understanding of it. It's good to get really in-depth knowledge of at least one language. I also had a couple of personal projects under my belt when I applied the third time, which better demonstrated my strengths to interviewers and recruiters.
What team are you working on at Google? Can you provide us with a high-level description of your summer project?
Throughout the summer, I have been working with the Google+ Platform team on Google Play Services. I had the opportunity to work on improving Application Programming Interfaces (API) for developers so that they could write more integrated and immersive apps. I also had the opportunity to work on Material design, a new look that’s up and coming in Android L.
What’s the best part about working with your manager? What about your team?
The best part about working on my team is the scope of my efforts. Working on Google Play Services means my efforts and work will end up on almost all Android phones around the world. Just knowing that my work over the summer will eventually be on over a billion devices worldwide is truly awesome, and it makes me feel like I’m really making a difference while interning at Google.
We all know Googlers and interns love the food and the other benefits. Outside of some of the well-known perks, what’s your favorite part about working at Google?
The heated toilet seats – seriously!
Best meal at Google so far?
There’s a great sandwich shop on the main campus that gives you a checklist, and you check off which items you want on your sandwich. From things like lettuce and bacon to sriracha sauce and olive oil, the talented chefs create tons of great, tasty sandwiches right in front of you!
What’s something you’ve accomplished during your internship (thus far) that you’re most proud of? Or something you’re looking forward to working on?
I was really excited that I got the chance to work on Material design. I watched it at Google I/O and thought it looked absolutely amazing. Personally, I’m not a designer. But I always give the user experience top priority when I’m working on my own personal projects. While working on Material, I was able to communicate with the design team and gain valuable insight into Google’s design strategy.
Best intern event you’ve attended?
Every summer, all of the Google interns in the Bay Area get together one night for a boat cruise out in the San Francisco Bay. It’s a great night to meet tons of other interns from similar schools and far away countries, working in teams you may not have even known existed. And of course – free food!
What does “being Googley” mean to you?
To me, being Googley means being social and being yourself. There are so many smart people you can meet at Google by just being outgoing and social, and you can easily make a ton of long-lasting friends (especially with other interns!) by just being yourself. Being Googley makes you feel like you’re part of a bigger community outside of the intern class, making a difference in people’s lives and having a great deal of fun while doing so.
If you could give one piece of advice to potential student applicants, what would it be?
While school and education is very important, grades aren’t everything. Having a large set of personal projects you’ve worked on makes you stand out from the rest, and it helps recruiters, potential hosts, and even yourself find out what your interests and strengths are. These sorts of projects stand out more on your resume and can give you a competitive edge for a coveted internship position. Personally, I have a couple of apps available on Google Play, and these gave me opportunities for discussion during the internship host matching process.
Posted by Shawn Dye, University Programs Team
Meet the 2014 Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholars
September 5, 2014
With 2015 scholarship applications opening soon, our Google Scholarships team would like to introduce this year’s Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholars and share some of the positive impact they are making in their communities.
It all started when
Dr. Anita Borg
attended a technology conference and noticed the small number of women present. After talking with these women, Dr. Borg formed an online community called
Systers
to help technical women connect with one another. Later, she started the Institute for Women and Technology (now
The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology
) and co-founded the
Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
. For the next X years, Dr. Borg became one of the biggest advocates to dismantle the barriers that keep women and minorities from entering the computing and technology fields.
When Google made the diversity of our workforce
public
this summer, we did it because we believe that the people creating our products and services should be a reflection of the people around the world who use them. That’s also why 10 years ago, we established the
Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship
, awarding scholarships to women who share Dr. Borg’s passion for technology.
Today we’re congratulating the
78 recipients
(PDF) of our 2014 Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa. They join a host of past scholars, many of whom have gone on to become leaders in academia and industry. For example, Floraine Berthouzoz, a 2010 Scholar, co-founded a nonprofit organization called CS KickStart that encourages incoming undergraduate women entering UC Berkeley to pursue computer science through programming labs, exciting presentations, and field trips. Together with restructuring the intro to computer science class at Berkeley, CS KickStart has increased the percentage of women in the Letters & Sciences CS program from 11 percent in 2010 to 21 percent in 2013.
As our scholars continue to pursue their technical careers, they join a community of women who will continue Anita Borg’s important work to promote and support women in computer science. As part of their scholarship (and in addition to receiving a monetary award), all of our Anita Borg scholars participated in one of the annual Google Scholars’ Retreat at Google in Mountain View, Calif. or Zurich. There, they attended tech talks, networked with other scholars and Googlers, participated in developmental activities and sessions, and brainstormed ways to further promote STEM in their communities. Stay tuned to the
Google Student Blog
over the course of the academic year to catch up on what these incredible women accomplish over the year.
We will be launching applications for all
2015 university scholarships
soon, so look out on the
Google Students +Page
for the announcement! For more information on all our scholarships, visit the
Google Scholarships site
.
2014 Anita Borg Scholars’ at the North America Scholars’ Retreat
Posted by Sarah Safir, Student Development Programs
Getting to know a Ph.D
September 3, 2014
Google offers a variety of opportunities for PhD students who wish to gain industry experience. Through our Getting to Know a PhD series, we’ll provide a glimpse into some of these opportunities as well as the impactful projects PhD students at Google work on.
Today we’re featuring
Arnar Birgisson
, a former
Google European Doctoral Fellowship Recipient
who interned on the Security research team.
So Arnar, tell us about yourself and your PhD topic ...
I originally come from Iceland, where I received my BSc in Mathematics with a lot of CS on the side. During that time I became very interested in the formal study of programming languages. I worked as a programmer for a couple of years and then went back to school to do a Masters in CS with a strong research focus on programming languages. During that time, I got introduced to security by Úlfar Erlingsson (at that time an Associate Professor at
Reykjavík University
). Security is a great area since it is so driven by reality and at the same time can benefit from formal approaches.
For my PhD, I moved to
Chalmers University of Technology
, Gothenburg, Sweden. My advisor,
Andrei Sabelfeld
, runs a group there that had the perfect mix for me: applying programming language theory, such as language design, static analysis, type systems, and dynamic execution monitoring to enforce security policies. In particular we work with information-flow control policies and enforcement. Such policies assert that programs do not leak sensitive information to public outputs. One of the things we did was to apply this to dynamic languages, JavaScript in particular. Such languages are very flexible, so analyzing them precisely can get tricky, especially when the rich semantics of the browser environment are included in the mix. Enforcement of such policies allows one to write programs that safely mix code and data from several sources, e.g. ensuring privacy-sensitive information from one source doesn’t leak to another.
Why did you apply for an internship at Google?
It was a good choice for many different reasons. Being an intern gives you the opportunity to combine research and engineering in a very useful way. An internship is also great because you work with more people and broaden your horizon, which is something I think is tremendously valuable for a PhD student. It helps relieve the huge uncertainty of “What now?” when you finish, but also opens up a lot of opportunities.
What was your internship focused on?
My internship with
Úlfar
’s group was focused on research. Together with my mentor Mark Lentczner and other members of the group, we developed a framework for flexible authorization tokens, a sort of better cookies, hence their name: Macaroons. These tokens fit well to the common operation of sharing things online. On the web, you rarely share data - you share the authorization to view it. Our tokens allow exactly this, in a manner that requires less pre-existing relationships between the services involved than current frameworks do.
Did you publish at Google/during your internship?
Yes, my internship work resulted in a
publication
in the
2014 Network and Distributed System Security (NDSS) Symposium
. This work was a collaboration of many people, but I have high hopes that it will be one of the more impactful publications from my time as a PhD student. It’s exciting that we start hearing from people who see its potential. Google and my supervisors are very supportive of letting me publish when opportunities arise. A difference to academia is that at Google publications happen after the systems are built and deployed. That alone provides significantly stronger evidence than prototypes.
How closely connected was the work you did during your internship to your PhD topic?
My internship project was somewhat of a diversion from my main topic, but I still included it as a chapter in my thesis. It doesn’t deal with information flow, and is more about protocol design than programming language analysis. This was fine since the PhD program at Chalmers covers five years (after the MSc) and thus leaves enough leeway to explore related topics. This was one of the reasons I chose to go to Chalmers in the first place: I wanted to have time for internships.
What is working on the Google Infrastructure Security team like?
That’s a very open question. In short: it’s great! The team is a perfect mix of people with different backgrounds, whether they are academics, software engineering rockstars or senior people that know the ins and outs of everything at Google. It takes some time to learn what the expertise of everyone is, but once you know, there is always someone to ask or bounce ideas off, no matter what the challenge is.
Did you enjoy coding during your internship?
Yes, I did. Real coding was one of the things I missed when working in academia. We prove concepts and prototype, but building or integrating with a proper system involves much more engineering. The internship was a great way of seeing a bit more of this. I also learned from the way things are done in a big company which is all about software engineering.
Tell us a little bit more about being a
Google Doctoral Fellowship
recipient in Computer Security.
Besides the funding, the fellowship is a valuable vehicle to collaborate with Google. During the fellowship you are assigned a Google mentor who is close to your field of research, understands it and gives you feedback. You also get support from the University Relations team which helps you to find the right internship if you qualify.
What key skills have you gained during your internship?
I think self-management, how to set goals and working out how to deliver them. At Google, you need to set your own goals, in particular for the engineering parts of your project. I did not fully realize this when I started my internship. That ended up costing some time, but it was a valuable lesson.
What impact has this internship experience had on your PhD?
My internship with Google was my second internship during my PhD. Both of them provided me with an opportunity to change gears and the environment I worked in. I think the experience was good because working on a PhD can be daunting, in particular when you need to come up with new ideas. Seeing and participating in a wider range of research is a great way to boost your productivity.
Has this internship experience impacted the way you think about your future career?
Definitely. After my PhD I had to answer the same question everyone has to: What do I want to do now? The internship provided a huge insight into how someone trained as a researcher works in a company. Without that experience my view would have been very different. As a PhD student you ask dozens of people about their experiences as post graduates and everyone will have a different perspective. At the same time, most people you interact with are in academia - whether they are other PhD students, postdocs or faculty - and it is hard to gauge just how different (or similar) the “other side” is. An internship is the perfect way to find out.
You just recently started your job as a Software Engineer New Grad on the Infrastructure Security team - What are you working on now?
My current job is more on the engineering side and I’m very happy that it’s still fairly “researchy”. My team develops technical solutions for anything that has to do with how we authenticate both Googlers and our users. Some of this work is very forward-thinking, so it’s exciting to be a part of it. Now I’m part of an effort to bring support for Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) to our products. U2F is a new (in-progress) open standard (see
fidoalliance.org
) for devices that provide a cryptographic signature, used in addition to a password to identify a user. Technically, it’s similar to a chip-and-pin system, which web-pages can interact with directly without the need for custom drivers or card-readers. It provides strong authentication that is resistant against many classes of attacks, while the core design is also focused on user privacy.
Looking back on your experiences now: Why should a PhD student apply for an internship at Google? Any advice to offer?
To broaden your horizons. Even if you have the best advisor in the world or if you are working with the leading research group in your field, there is so much to gain from trying different environments. An internship costs you very little compared to what you have to gain from it. Applying costs even less (you can always say no if you don’t find the right project).
As for advice: Just do it! And when you do get there, set yourself clear goals and take the initiative to reach them.
For more information on our research areas, award programs, people and publications, please visit
Research at Google
. To learn more about other internships, outreach programs and scholarships, check out our
Student Careers Site
. In addition, we invite you to follow
Google Students
on Google+ to keep up with our 'Getting to Know a PhD' and 'Intern Insights' series.
Posted by Beate List, Research Programs, EMEA
Google Intern Insights 2014 - Meet Yatin Vadhia
September 2, 2014
Our interns have the opportunity to work on some of Google’s most cutting edge and innovative projects - not only in engineering, but across sales and other business functions, bringing a fresh perspective to the work done at Google. To show you just how much of an impact interns make and to highlight their unique experiences, we’re bringing you a special blog series: Google Intern Insights. Make sure to stroll through the blog to check out other interns who have been featured on the blog throughout the summer! Also, our technical internships for summer 2015 are now open! Apply
here
.
Meet Yatin Vadhia, a Business Associate Intern working at our European Headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. Yatin is a Computer Science student attending the University of Surrey in the UK. When Yatin is not in front of a computer, you can probably find him target shooting, at the cinema or on a plane.
Tell us one fun, outlandish fact about you!
When I was 10 years old, I was involved in a minor car accident on the way back from a tour of a beer factory on Christmas Day in India. Luckily, no one was injured.
What inspired you to apply for this internship and what made Google appealing to you as a potential intern?
I have always followed Google in the press quite closely and I've always felt that I would love working here. It was just a matter of finding the right opportunity! I saw the internship application window open and spent a great deal of time making sure that my CV was up to scratch. After I sent off my application, I nervously waited to hear back, but obviously it all paid off!
More fundamentally, I believe Google is at the forefront of technology and tackles difficult and unanswered questions. Instead of asking "why," Google often asks "why not?"
What team are you working on at Google? Can you provide us with a high-level description of your summer project?
I am working within Product Quality Operations, which fights spam and abuse across Google products. The team I work on ensures that there is consistent policy enforcement on each product. As many of our products can be used in different ways, it is important that all cases are dealt with fairly and that users are treated equally.
Another area I work on deals with User Escalations for Account Suspensions. When accounts are deemed suspicious and/or abusive, it is important that analysts use the correct information available to them to come to the right decision as to which action is taken against them.
Sometimes, users will contact Google to explain what happened in order to get their account unsuspended. We make sure that these are dealt with urgently and explain why action was taken.
What’s the best part about working with your manager? What about your team?
They are super cool. My manager is always ready to give me advice and feedback and the rest of my team are really enthusiastic! We all really enjoy what we do and I think that helps a great deal. I’ve always believed that you have to enjoy what you do in order to be happy at work.
Team lunches are regular and the diversity of my team (in terms of home country) is very impressive, too.
We all know Googlers and interns love the food and the other benefits. Outside of some of the well-known perks, what’s your favorite part about working at Google?
The massage chairs and sleep pods are fantastic. There is also a well-being centre, which has a dentist and a general practitioner! The Nerf Guns are the icing on the cake.
I would say the little things matter too. It took me about 3 weeks to realise that I took my shoes off (don’t worry, I kept my socks on) while at my desk because it was comfortable. I’m not the only one who does that, too!
What’s something you’ve accomplished during your internship (thus far) that you’re most proud of? Or something you’re looking forward to working on?
Being able to work on products and services that affect over a billion people. There are moments when a query is run over mind-boggling amounts of information, but thanks to the amazing infrastructure we have here at Google, it can take just a matter of minutes.
Best meal at Google so far?
Cajun chicken fillets with waffles for dessert. I may have gone back for seconds ...
Best overheard conversation in a MK/cafe/elevator
A discussion involving the merits of pre-peeled bananas, for people that are too lazy to peel bananas themselves.
Best intern event you’ve attended?
It’s not really an event, but I am a fan of Game of Thrones and I organised a trip with some interns and Googlers to go across the border to Northern Ireland and see where the majority of the show was filmed. We all had a great time and even met (cardboard) Tyrion and Arya!
Also, I recently took part in the
Google Dublin Ice Bucket challenge
.
What does “being Googley” mean to you?
Being yourself.
If you could give one piece of advice to potential student applicants, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Always say yes. Attend meetings and get involved with as much as you can. As an intern you have more leeway--you can ask questions that you probably couldn't get away with if you were full-time. People understand that you are still learning.
Posted by Maggie Hohlfeld, University Programs
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