Weekly WISE #4

Another exciting week of SSEP 2024! Read all about what Divya S. and Emily D. did this week and so far as part of SSEP!

Divya S, Web Content Developer in WISE

Hi! I’m Divya S, the web content developer for WISE this summer. I’m in charge of for editing and maintaining this website, alongside my supervisor, Roxana Popescu. Over the past four weeks, I’ve learnt valuable skills from my supervisor, including WordPress, HTML, and CSS coding. A clone website was created just so I could practice and learn the different features. Soon enough, I was able to add information and pictures to the different pages on the website confidently. Some of the notable changes I have done, includes the PowerPoint presentations from last year, all the summer books from 1990 to 2023, the new pictures and information to all the pages and the Weekly WISE uploads. This profound exposure to web content developing has also helped me develop perseverance and problem-solving skills.

This week was especially interesting, with a tour of the engineering department, starting out from the labs in the engineering and finishing at the Process engineering building.  It has helped me realize the wide range opportunities and interests within the field of engineering. We also enjoyed a fun trivia night with a $25 gift card prize and made a candy salad. In addition to that, I had the privilege of interviewing Lynnann Winsor, a past WISE participant and the present deputy city manager of St. John’s. Check out our insightful conversation that is now featured on the website, in the Alumnae Influencers Section.

The most significant part to me, however, is the overall experience I’ve had in WISE. It’s truly been the most unforgettable experience I’ve ever had. I’ve formed numerous friendships and learned so much through the placement and tours, which has helped me narrow down my career choices. I often reflect on how different my summer would have been if I hadn’t checked my spam folder for the acceptance email – I’m really grateful I did!

Emily D, Research Assistant in the Psychology Department

Hi! My name is Emily D; this is my fourth week at WISE SSEP. I worked as a Research Assistant in the Psychology Department under PHD student Kyla Malayang. Since the beginning of the summer, I’ve been learning how to use psychology databases, how to look for research papers, read and understand them, and the latest thing I’ve been doing is writing a critical analysis on mental health disorders in the TV show Dexter. I’ve learned so much so far in the WISE program, and I look forward to learning more as the summer continues. Another thing I’ve done with the WISE program is go on tours! This week, WISE had a tour of the Faculty of Engineering and the Process Engineering building. We learned how they cultivate certain bacteria that eat oil to help clean up oil spills. We also got to see the labs in the engineering building, like the Hydraulics and Fluids lab, where we got to see and do some of the labs they have there. We got to see other places in the engineering building such as the Student Hub and Machine Shop. WISE also had a Trivia night for everyone and it was so fun! So far, WISE has been an amazing experience, and I’m excited to see what else WISE has in store for me