Programme of Study and Year: Computer Science & Maths – going into 4th year
Hobbies: Singing, reading, writing, learning languages and lifting weights
Intern Position: DAMS Metadata Intern
Fun fact about you and your internship: I enjoy working remotely because I tend to sing and talk aloud a lot whilst I’m working
Describe your role in 4 words: Managing lots of data
In the beginning…
I first found out about the ISG Summer internships via email during my 2nd semester. By this point, I had applied to some roles at external companies and also a couple of Employ.ed internships but I had either been unsuccessful in the application processes or hadn’t heard back yet from the companies. What appealed to me about the ISG internships, was how unique they were compared to other roles I had come across plus, I felt that taking on a job based on, or around campus, would be convenient since I could continue staying in my term-time accommodation over the summer and explore more of the city in my spare time. I was drawn to this role in particular because I wanted to gain more experience working with data as I’m interested in data technology and hope to pursue a career in that field. Furthermore, I was excited for the opportunity to contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage items through their digitisation.
Looking back on my experience…
As a Digital Asset Management System (DAMS) Metadata Intern I’ve been responsible for managing metadata of digital images from the library’s heritage collections. This has involved analysing the metadata to determine the suitability of the digitised items for migration to a new DAMS. As well as this I’ve been reviewing and updating data using information stored in the Luna DAMS software and other library systems. So far, I’ve enjoyed the flexibility of a fully remote role as it’s allowed me to alternate between working at home as well as here in Edinburgh.
My favourite part of the internship was definitely our Team Away Day at Edinburgh Zoo. In the morning, we did some fun ice-breakers including trying to find 8 things we all had in common before having a meeting to review and reflect on the team’s work from the previous year and to plan ahead for the upcoming year. During the meetings, we were offered lots of tea, coffee and snacks, including penguin and sloth-shaped shortbread! In the afternoon, we walked around the zoo and got to see some of the animals – overall it was a fun day and a really nice opportunity to get to know the team better.
I’m thankful for the opportunity to complete this internship. Through my role I’ve gained valuable work experience, which has given me more confidence for the interviewing process and ultimately integrating into a new workplace when applying to future roles.
