51视频

Meriem Elkoudi, a Miner School of Computer and Information Sciences senior who鈥檚 double-majoring in computer science and mathematics, and Wendy Carvalho, a senior majoring in computer science, started each day of their two months in France with a croissant. This Parisian breakfast ritual was part of their experience with the interplay of culture and science during their paid summer internship at the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ).

UVSQ students have been interning in science labs at 51视频 since 2022. Elkoudi and Carvalho were the first 51视频 students to intern at UVSQ, which is located in a southwestern suburb of Paris.聽

鈥淚t was an amazing experience,鈥� Elkoudi says.

Their journey is part of a larger effort to provide opportunities for students in the Kennedy College of Sciences (KCS) to experience international learning in preparation for today鈥檚 global workplaces.

鈥淭oday, your colleagues are not in the next cubicle, but thousands of miles away,鈥� says Foozieh Mir, KCS鈥檚 coordinator of undergraduate and international programs. 鈥淭his experience prepares students for global partnerships.鈥�

While 51视频鈥檚 partnerships with French universities began with UVSQ, they have expanded to include relationships with a consortium of universities around Paris, says KCS Dean Noureddine Melikechi. The consortium also includes Universit茅 Paris-Saclay and Universit茅 Paris Cit茅.

During their UVSQ internship, Elkoudi and Carvalho worked with Computer Science Professor J茅r茅mie Cabessa in a lab focused on developing data and algorithms for smart, sustainable cities. The Honors College students created an invertible neural network model that converted molecular structures into spectra, or molecular energy signatures, and molecular energy signatures into molecular structures.聽

With their flexible work schedule, the students could mull difficult problems in Parisian cafes. They also had time to visit touristy places such as the Eiffel Tower and the Champs-脡lys茅es, as well as hidden gems such as an oyster bar recommended by a local friend.

All of Europe was just a train ride or inexpensive flight away, and they spent a memorable weekend in northern Italy riding bicycles and adding new Italian dishes to their list of favorites, Carvahlo says.

They selected the UVSQ research project because it reflects their career interests. 鈥淚鈥檓 leaning toward computational biology or data management,鈥� Carvalho says. The computational chemistry required for the project is related to those topics and also has applications in drug discovery, a field she鈥檚 interested in.聽

Elkoudi says, 鈥淚 want to pursue machine learning as a career.鈥� She had taken a class that covered neural networks during the fall semester before the internship. Using the principles she learned in that class to create a neural network from start to finish was a valuable experience, she says.

Elkoudi, who is from Methuen, wants to combine computer science with medicine, and this project showed her how that could work in real-world terms.

鈥淲e want students to have opportunities like this one,鈥� Melikechi says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 challenging, but very rewarding.鈥�

In the end, the most important souvenirs from Elkoudi and Carvalho鈥檚 trip were the ones that will improve their futures. 鈥淚鈥檓 planning on going to grad school, and this experience should help with that,鈥� says Carvalho, a native of Brockton. 鈥淟ater, when I apply for jobs in biotech, I think this project related to drug discovery will stand out on my resume.鈥澛�

Best of all, these are souvenirs they will have with them for a lifetime, even after they鈥檝e forgotten the buttery taste of those daily croissants.