We reached out to our recent returnees to capture their perspectives on their time abroad, to see what they have been up to and what their upcoming plans are. Below are the responses from three of our students, who are participants of the JIEP, CIEP and SIEP programs respectively.
Harrison Timperley, ‘20 Japanese & Computer Engineering
My name is Harrison Timperley and I am a Computer Engineering, Japanese IEP alumni from URI. I studied at Kyushu University for my 6 months of study and worked for Hexagon Metrology automating measurement machines for my 6-month internship. I would say that if one has any opportunity to live in a foreign country, they should do so, especially one that challenges your preconceived perceptions. I feel today we are very sheltered from alternative ways of thinking and any contrary experience is fundamental to molding a well-rounded person. Despite the University urging me to return from Japan, I chose to stay in my internship at my own risk and it was my best decision this year! After my internship, I vacationed in Tokyo for two weeks and would recommend it for anyone’s bucket list. After my internship, I graduated and am currently looking for a job. Hexagon is actually my most promising prospective job at this point. I am continuing my IEP involvement by being a mentor for the upcoming batch of Japanese IEP students. I have to say, looking for work during these times is discouraging and I am doing odd jobs for people on the TaskRabbit app in the meantime. I am also working on control system software on the side as a personal project. My hope is to definitely find work but I intend to help the IEP program as much as I can while I have the free time.
Alex Cerullo, ‘21 Chinese & Biomedical Engineering
Following my studies at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China and my recall to the US in January, I began a self study with Prof. Ying Sun*, a Biomedical Engineering Professor at URI. Prof. Sun was a native Taiwanese speaker and our weekly meetings were half in Chinese and half in English. We were working on a project to identify the minimum resolution at which an AI could recognize and identify images.
This fall I have entered my final year at URI and have begun my capstone project for my engineering major. The project is to use an EEG to read brain waves and control a robotic arm with the signals my team can isolate. We are working under Prof. Yalda Shariari’s Neuro Lab for this project.
The early return from China had thrown most of my plans for the spring and summer into a tailspin, but I had always planned on returning to URI for this semester. The biggest regret I have is that I can only put two months of interning at a Chinese Lab on my resume, and that while I did research there, the hands-on portion of the internship hadn’t started before I left.
Next semester I aim to graduate URI and hopefully begin grad school, and I have been looking at different programs that I think would be a good fit. I’ve heard that applying for grad school is very exhausting and competitive, so I hope that my time in China and Chinese major may give me the edge I need.
*Sadly, Prof. Ying Sun, a beloved member of the URI academic community, passed away unexpectedly during the spring semester. Alex was fortunate to have Prof. Yan Sun of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering step in so that he could continue his research.
Arianna Sawyer, ‘21 Spanish & Ocean Engineering
Hi everyone, my name is Arianna Sawyer and I am in the Spanish IEP. I am currently in my final year at URI, studying Ocean Engineering and Spanish. Last year, I was abroad in Santander, Spain, studying at La Universidad de Cantabria. Not only did my time abroad enhance my language skills, but it also helped me grow as a person. When I graduate in May I would love to go into the Offshore Renewable Wind Industry, a field that is rapidly expanding, especially in Europe. The independence that I gained from my time abroad has made the idea of working in Europe something that is a feasible option and it excites me to explore that possibility.
