Who are you?

Nina Mohebbi, Senior, Biomedical Engineering

Who is your employer?

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Lausanne, Switzerland

How did you learn about your internship?

OIE presentation and flyers during my sophmore year.

What was the application process like?

Online submission with CV, transcript, and letters of recommendation

What were your major tasks or projects at this internship?

• Studying the physics of compliant materials and thinking of ways to simplify the system for modeling and quick prototyping
• Creating a Python computer program to model the behavior of these compliant parts in a robot
• Completing a study on the sensitivity of the model outcomes based on variable inputs

Do you have any recommendations for Georgia Tech students looking to intern in the same company or country?

Though you are not required to speak french, I would strongly recommend taking a class or two in french before or during your time at EPFL. It will enhance your overall experience if you can interact with locals.
To figure out which professors you want to apply to, find all of their research websites and thoroughly go through what each site has to offer. They have a ton of information, sometimes even including potential projects they would offer summer students!

Where did you live? Did you find accomodations independently or with your company's help?

I lived on campus through FMEL. I was in the dorm, 'Atrium', this was great for me, because I lived about a 5 min walk away from my lab, and right under my apartment was the grocery store, pharmacy, and metro station!

How has this internship influenced your career path?

It has encouraged me to look into more technical jobs.

If paid, did the company you worked for pay you enough to live off of your salary or stipend, or did you have to supplement your income with personal funds?

Yes, I found that the stipend I was provided was more than enough to live off. I actually pocketed all of my last month's paycheck.