The Muse 2018 Summer Interns

August 30, 2018

Written by Ivey Norton, BSc majoring in Psychology at McGill University

Exams are over, our brains are fried, and we’re all packed up to head home for the summer. What are we going to do for the next 4 months before fall semester starts?

Enter the Summer Internship: a college students best friend, or worst enemy.

For some, summer internships can be more demanding and less exciting than school, where they slave away doing mindless, mundane tasks (think sorting the file cabinet that hasn’t been touched since the company’s latest relocation…in 1970), just so they can add something to their resumés and hopefully land their dream job much later on down the road. Or worse, some might not land any internship at all.

However, if you’re one of the lucky ones, summer internships can offer you:

a chance to get to learn more about your field
an opportunity to watch what you’ve learned in classrooms be applied to the real world
a place to meet peers with similar interests
a greater sense of what careers you might want to do once you graduate while you develop and build skills that get you there

Here at Muse, we are most definitely the lucky ones.

MEET THE INTERNS:

Alex Zidros: BEng in Electrical Engineering at Ryerson University, 2nd Year.

As a Mindfulness Technology Resident, Alex was focused on integrating a new audio engine into the Core Muse App. The engine will allow music artists to create audio for new experiences.

Bronwyn Cooper: BSc in Psychology: Brain & Cognition at the University of Guelph, 3rd year.

Bronwyn is working on the research team, assisting in data collection w/ ERP studies + PPG sensor integration and researching different physiological patterns that occur during meditation to implement new experiences into Blackcomb.

“Working at Muse has given me the chance to collaborate with some of the most innovative minds in the field of neuro-technology. I have been given the opportunity to provide insight and assistance on projects that are bettering and advancing Muse and pushing Muse further into the world of neuro-technologies. This internship has helped me see the applications of neuroscience outside of the lab, and opened my eyes to the importance of promoting brain health in both corporate settings and everyday life.”

Charlotte Copas: BSc in Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo, 3rd year.

Charlotte works in Customer Care and as a Research Intern in Sales and Marketing.

Helping customers with a wide array of problems, whether it be troubleshooting their device from Bluetooth/sensor issues, app crashes, hardware malfunctions to simple problems like lost packages or returns and exchanges

“Being immersed in an environment with people from all walks of life has been such an eye-opening experience and has made me realize how much you can accomplish when collaborating with a passionate and dedicated group of people. No one here is valued more than any other, as we acknowledge that everyone plays an important role in making this company as successful as it can be. Working at Muse has pushed me to come out of my comfort zone, but it has also taught me that no question is too small, and no idea is too big, a reassurance that I will carry with me as I continue to be exposed to new experiences throughout my life.”

Gavin Z: BCS at the University of Waterloo, 3rd year.

Gavin has been working on App Dev Team as an iOS Developer. Mainly working on the iOS app: fixing bugs, and implementing new features.

Ivey Norton: BSc in Psychology at McGill University, 4th year.

I’m working underneath Founder Ariel Garten on opportunity development and partnerships to build her personal brand and all current evangelist strategies! I’m also helping the Professional Team implement their online education initiative, as well as creating content for various Muse communications including this blog post!

“Muse has shown me a whole new world! It’s a world filled with brilliant and inspiring people, where neuroscience, research, technology, innovation, engineering, creativity, and business all come together in one place with one goal. Imagine what kind of environment that cultivates, where passion, innovation, and hands down ingenuity are the norm! Thanks to this internship, I’ve gotten to see first-hand what it looks like for a company to grow from a small idea to a multi-million-dollar business, what it feels like to have a company value and care for each of its employees, and to learn what can happen when people dream BIG and aren’t afraid to give it everything they’ve got when it comes to achieving their goals. Thank you, Muse, for this experience that will undoubtedly be pivotal in my development as a student, in helping shape my dreams, and for further deepening my curiosity in psychology and in the world.”

Jason Dam: BSc in Computer Science at the University of Toronto, 4th year.

Cloud team (Mainly Muse Account and Muse Connect). Mainly working on developing new features on Muse Connect, some major features includes free trials, GDPR deletion, and client groupings. Also working on other minor issues like email translations for Muse app and modifying cloud architecture to support internationalization and journaling.

Matthew Wong: BEng in Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo, 2nd year.

Matthew is working on the Hardware Team to update the manufacturing tests to be able to test the new components in Blackcomb.

“My experience at Muse has been phenomenal; I’ve learned a lot about different hardware components and how they interact with each other. I plan on using these new skills to make cool new hardware projects in my free time”

Nikki Stuart: BA in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo, 3rd year.

Working on the Professional Wellness Sales Team – reaching out to and working with corporate partners, and creating resources for our professional partners

“Muse has opened me up to an entirely new approach to the field of psychology. As a cognitive neuroscience student, I tend to lean heavily towards academic applications, but the team I work with has given me a new outlook on how neuroscience can be applied to everyday life. Being in sales and marketing, I’ve been challenged to speak about complicated topics in concise and understandable language, and I’ve been able to engage with individuals who have been truly impacted by meditation. I feel so excited to come to work every day, not only because of the work I get to do, but the people I get to work with.”

Oishe Farhan: BASc in Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto, 4th year.

As a Mindfulness Technology Resident Oishe was working on new and experimental ways to enhance the connection between mind and body through Muse technology and immersive visual experiences.

Simon Guo

Simon is the youngest intern in the history of Muse! He is going into 12th grade at Upper Canada College, working on completing his International Baccalaureate and OSSD as a Mindfulness Technology Resident.

Tim Romanski: BCS at the University of Waterloo, 3rd year.

Tim worked on the public API, called libmuse, which Muse offers to other developers. This allows them to connect, disconnect, read data from, etc… from their Muse device. They can then write their own programs around this. He’s also working on Muse Direct, the subscription-based application meant for research. This displays data gathered from Muse on visual graphs, allowing users to stream data to Muse Lab (desktop app).

“Before joining Muse I was a computer science student. Now I’m an iOS and React Native developer that knows a thing or two about Bluetooth. Technology aside, I feel privileged to be working with such a great group of people. Looking forward to these last few weeks I’ve still got at Muse.”
…AND THAT’S ALL OF US!

THANK YOU, Muse, for taking a chance on us. Thank you for encouraging us, and for teaching us to learn, to dream, and to imagine. Each of us will be going back to school in the fall full of life, with a wealth of knowledge, inspiration, curiosity, and fascinating stories to share with our overworked, energy-drained college pals.

This is a summer every single one of us will remember and cherish, and most importantly, one we will all look back on as being vital to our growth, our lives, and in shaping who we are as young learners.