A Summer of Science

Michael, Video Production Intern, San Francisco, CA

Wearing the exoskeleton at UC Davis

It’s hard to believe that in just over a month, I’ll be starting my senior year of college.  Looking back at the past three years, I realize that I’ve learned a lot about certain subjects—as a History major, I’ve taken classes on Ancient Greece, East Asia, Europe and the US.  But I’ve had almost no time to learn about science and technology (in fact, I’ve tried to avoid any kind of math too complicated to be done using my fingers).  My experience at CBS Interactive has been a great opportunity to learn not just the skills needed for my internship, but also about science, technology, and business in general.

SolarImpulse, an airplane powered by the Sun’s energy

 As one of two Production Interns for CBSi’s Business Broadband sites, I’ve had a variety of daily tasks.  I’ve transcribed interviews, edited videos and podcasts, and assisted producers and the cameraman out on location.  As a reward for this labor, I gotten to see projects I’ve worked on live on sites like SmartPlanet.com, BNET.com, and MoneyWatch.com.   It’s also fun to follow the conversations and blog posts on other sites that our videos spark. 

Scientists study beer at UC Davis

I think what I’ve enjoyed most about my CBSi experience, however, is the exposure I’ve gotten to topics that I might never have learned about otherwise.  For example, I learned all about the science of beer from a UC Davis professor on a SmartPlanet shoot two week ago (did you know beer is the best source of silica in the diet?).  I got to try on a new exoskeletal robot designed to help stroke victims recover full motion—it also made me look like Doc Ock from Spiderman 2.  And I even edited videos about one of the world’s largest solar powered planes and a boat made of recycled plastic bottles.

Floating on only recycled bottles, the “Plastiki” made the dangerous trek from SF to Sydney

The best thing about interning at CBSi has been the internship program’s focus on learning.  I would definitely recommend CBSi’s internship program to anyone interested in New Media who wants to get practical, hands-on experience.  And who knows, you might even be surprised what you learn!