In a primarily male-dominated field such as Data Science, we are all the more pleased to introduce you to a woman who completed her internship with us. Read more about Ricarda and her internship at Geospin!
Geospin: Ricarda, what are you studying?
Ricarda: I study Business Mathematics at the University of Mannheim. I used the time between terms for my 3-month internship at Geospin to gain more experience in Data Science.
Geospin: What exactly is your area of responsibility at Geospin?
Ricarda: My area of responsibility at Geospin is in the field of Data Science, which means that I deal with the geodata processed by Geospin. With this data, I was able to write a program that uses different location data for any given location in Germany. The goal is to create a ranking of places around the given location. For example, one can search for an electric charging station in downtown Freiburg with a supermarket, a mailbox, and as many restaurants as possible in the surroundings. As a result, the user then gets a ranking of locations that fulfill as many of the given conditions as possible, all within a radius of, say, 10 minutes by car.
Geospin: Your internship at Geospin is coming to an end. What's next for you after your internship?
Ricarda: After my internship, I will write my bachelor thesis in the field of Mathematical Optimization and then start my master's next summer semester.
Geospin: Since you just mentioned your master's degree: What do you want to do with your studies after your master's degree?
Ricarda: This question is not so easy to answer. Luckily, I still have some time to decide exactly where I want to go. Of course, I would love to be able to use the mathematical skills I learn in my studies in some way. But I think that's possible in many areas. I'm also sure that I'll be able to apply the business knowledge gained during my studies at some point in the future. The likelihood that I will end up in the field of Data Science has of course also become much higher through my internship at Geospin :D.
Geospin: To pick up on a cliché, what are your experiences as a woman in this industry, as women are rather underrepresented?
Ricarda: That's right; there are actually significantly fewer women than men in this field. However, I don't feel disadvantaged by this, nor do I feel privileged in any way. I guess I hear comments that the field is unusual for women more often, but otherwise I have nothing to report on this. I'm excited to see what other experiences I'll gather in the future.
Geospin: What is important to you at your workplace?
Ricarda: In a workplace, I think it's important that you feel comfortable. And that is definitely the case at Geospin. Many nice, very helpful colleagues and a well-frequented coffee machine made working really fun, even though of course you often had to resort to online communication too in times of Corona.
Geospin: And finally, how did you perceive your time at Geospin?
Ricarda: Unfortunately, the three months went by very quickly. At the beginning, I was very excited about what would happen to my project during the three months. But this excitement quickly turned into curiosity, which allowed me to learn a lot at Geospin.
