This week, I traveled to San Francisco, CA, and began my 6 week internship with the non-profit, Data-Pop Alliance (DPA), a global organization that uses data analytics to address social issues. During my internship with DPA, I will be working with their data science team on two of their projects. The first project (which I will be focusing on the majority of my time here) involves creating and refining a Large Language Model (LLM) for internal use at DPA, where I will concentrate on locating possible outlets of bias. The other  project is in partnership with the organization, OPAL (Open Algorithms), where they are investigating a new way to assess Senegal’s flood patterns and outcomes. To complement my internship, I will also be volunteering with the SF LGBT Center and the GLBT Historical Society with their PRIDE events. 

What went well: This first week of working with DPA went super well! Though the first week at any new position can be quite nerve racking and overwhelming, I really enjoyed meeting my team and my coworkers. They are all just such lovely people and were very welcoming and helpful— I am super excited to get to know them these next six weeks. While I was already excited for the projects I was going to help with, I am now even more interested in working to create these programs. In regards to volunteering with local SF organizations, I was also able to complete my training with the SF LGBT Center, so I am now certified to volunteer with them :)

What could I have done differently: One thing I could have done better at was asking more questions, particularly to my team members. This past week, I’ve really only communicated with my project manager, and I really think it would be in my best interest to also reach out to other people on my team. After all, I will probably be spending more time working with them than my boss!

What were some of the issues: With DPA being a global organization without a central office, my project managers and co-workers are in different time zones as me, and therefore do not work the same hours as me. For example, my main project manager lives in France and is 9 hours ahead of me! That means that if I want to ask her a question, I need to ask her before 10 am if I want a prompt response. This was definitely difficult this first week as I was still learning the ropes of this organization and needed to adapt to my co-worker’s expectations. Another thing that I am also nervous about is learning the coding programs and technology that DPA uses. While I do have a background in coding, some of their data sets seem quite complicated, and I am not sure if I have the skills to collaborate on them. However, I know that my team will help me with the basics and I can practice on my own so that I will eventually be able to understand the mechanics of their techniques.

To do for next week:

• Reach out to co-workers and set up zoom coffee events
• Familiarize myself with the coding programs and applications DPA uses

This week was very exciting but also very tiring. I am hopeful that next week I will be able to get in the swing of things and create more of a schedule that I can follow!

Here are some photos of San Francisco!