Internship with the WATC Analysis Team
Are you a UAF undergraduate student in Science, Mathematics, or Computer science? Would you welcome an opportunity to jump-start your career by working with a team engaged in cutting-edge research and technical operations? Then consider an internship with the Wilson Alaska Technical Center (WATC) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. We seek a highly-motivated undergraduate to fill an intern position with WATC’s Analysis Team (A-Team). This position will allow you to build your resume while learning highly-marketable skills. WATC is involved in research and development of technologies designed to detect, locate, and characterize potential nuclear activity. WATC is a data-rich environment, and ingests hundreds of channels from a global network of infrasound, seismic, and environmental stations. The intern, as a member of the A-Team, will work closely with scientists to build critical computational infrastructure related to quality control of waveform data. The work will consist of algorithm development, building visualizations for data quality monitoring, and related research projects. This is an exciting opportunity to learn cutting-edge skills while helping build tools that will become operational in a front-line scientific context. Candidates should have a good quantitative background with at least some coding experience. Skills that you will learn as a WATC intern may include signal processing, python programming, data mining, seismology and acoustics, relational databases, and how to operate in a team development environment using tools such as GitHub. WATC offers competitive pay, flexible hours, and a collaborative and positive team environment. For more information, to talk informally about the position, or for instructions on how to apply, please contact Ken Macpherson (kamacpherson@alaska.edu) and Juliann Coffey (jrcoffey@alaska.edu)
.Internship in Applying Machine Learning to Volcano Acoustic Data
The Wilson Alaska Technical Center (WATC) is looking for a motivated UAF undergraduate to assist in a cutting-edge project focused on developing new ways to detect volcanic eruptions from hundreds to thousands of kilometers away. The research will focus on identifying the sounds volcanoes produce during an eruption by analyzing both modeled and recorded infrasound, i.e. sound below 20 Hz. The successful candidate will leverage strategies from multiple disciplines including geophysics, computer science, and machine learning and will be able to work flexible hours. The research accomplished will have direct applications to monitoring volcanoes at places such as the Alaska Volcano Observatory. WATC offers a collaborative, supportive, and positive team environment that encourages diversity and inclusiveness.
Responsibilities include:
- Organizing large unstructured infrasound datasets in a shared server
- Preparing programming environments with appropriate software and dependencies
- Implementing established methods on new datasets
- Developing new workflows and algorithms to detect infrasound signals
- Presenting findings at appropriate conferences and through publications
What you have:
- Eagerness to learn and think critically
- Time availability to meet weekly (mostly through Zoom)
- Programming proficiency, preferably in Python
- Background in math, physics, or computer science
Skills you will learn:
- Data cleaning and environment management
- Machine learning
- Digital signal processing
- Forward modeling
- Algorithm deployment
For questions on the position please contact Alex Witsil (ajwitsil@alaska.edu).
Internship with the WATC EngineeringTeam
The Wilson Alaska Technical Center (WATC) is looking for a driven undergraduate STEM student to work alongside its operational engineering team. WATC operates and maintains seismic & infrasound stations around the world. Keeping these stations operational & producing high-quality real-time data involves a wide set of engineering & technical expertise. The intern will work closely with WATC engineers on projects dealing with remote power supplies, radio and fiber optic communications networks, remote monitoring, troubleshooting, and building components for operational field use. Specific projects can be tailored to the individual based on their strengths & interests. Our hope is to offer an ambitious engineering undergraduate student a career launching platform that complements their classroom studies with real-world resumé building operational experience. WATC offers competitive pay, flexible hours, and a collaborative and positive team environment. For more information, to talk informally about the position, or for instructions on how to apply, please contact Lukas Blom (ljblom@alaska.edu ljblom@alaska.edu).
Responsibilities may include:
- Building & Testing WATC designed components for operational use in a remote environment.
- Assist in remotely troubleshooting technical issues at infrasound and seismic stations around the globe.
- Produce technical documentation on projects
- Support field engineering operations
- Potentially accompany WATC engineers to a remote station for maintenance or upgrades, depending on interest & availability
What you have
- Understand basic engineering principles
- Organized with time management skills
- Basic computer proficiency
- Positive attitude
- Eagerness to learn
- Able to work in a team driven lab environment
Skills you will learn:
- IT network troubleshooting
- Remote monitoring of real-time data seismic & infrasound stations
- Infrasound & seismic sensor operations
- Operational component design, testing & assembly
- DC power systems
- Installing, maintaining & troubleshooting communications networks (radio, fiber optic)
- State of Health (SOH) data analysis
UA is an AA/EO employer and educational institution and prohibits illegal discrimination against any individual: www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination . As a public, regional, comprehensive university, UAF is committed to building a culturally diverse and inclusive organization and strongly encourages women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans to apply. UAF is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.