Intern Adventures - New Roles and Experiences

By -
Posted on August 3, 2014 by Beata Strubel

Boxes of clothes and books have filled my room as I begin the packing madness I now associate with every August. I finished my internship last Friday and am in Indy for a few weeks before I move up to Purdue. I can’t wait to get back to Purdue!

The summer flew by. I worked with a great group at P&G, and I learned a lot from my team. I ended my internship with a final presentation of my work this summer. I enjoyed reflecting back on all my projects. It’s incredible what you can accomplish in 12 weeks.

End of Summer Intern Banquet

Compared to last summer, I got more exposure to the business side of things this internship. I helped explore how some upstream anti-aging research can be leveraged for business insights. My team from last summer in the Beauty Technology Division (they do the most upstream technical work) is currently developing new understanding around skin aging. In my role this summer, I translated this research into product ideas and concepts that I presented to consumers in various tests. I then modelled the consumer responses to help my team understand what aspects of the design were driving consumer appeal and what areas of research we should pursue further to create delightful products. (Our aim at P&G is always to delight the consumer.)

A Discrete Choice Modelling test was one of my favorite projects. I took several of the concepts from my previous tests and looked for the variables that created each concept. I then looked at how we could change each variable to sample from the larger space of possibilities. (Think of it like a Mr. Potato Head. You can choose one of many sets of eyes, noses, and mouths to create lots of different Mr. Potato Heads.) We fielded an online survey where women were asked to choose between a pair of these concepts. They indicated their preference among a series of pairs. Several hundred women completed this survey. We used their responses to create a model of how each variable influenced the appeal of the concept.

My Internship (Dreaming Big)

Internships are great opportunities to explore different roles and see applications of your school work. This summer I was pleasantly surprised that my products research role was more technical than I expected. I enjoyed creating models to develop consumer understanding. I learned a lot and look forward to more new experiences next summer. What is your dream internship?

With my coworkers at P&G summer zoo event

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Purdue Housing

By -
Image
One of the many concerns incoming freshmen have is what to do regarding their housing options. In addition to the roommate selection process, you may be interested in seeing your on-campus options in terms of amenities and the communities available within the building. For example, when I accepted my admission to Purdue as a freshman, I knew I was interested in a standard double that I had experienced at a summer college program. To ensure my University Residences housing, I applied to Vertically Integrated Projects so that I would be able to pursue a research project as a freshman while also guaranteeing my housing within Earhart Hall through the connected learning community. For more information on learning communities, read our previous blog! Many freshmen will live in a residence hall, even if they are not in a specific learning community. Now, as a Resident Assistant or RA in Earhart Hall, I have been trained on the term “residence hall”; our halls go beyond a traditional “dormito
Read more

A very (sub)objective review of dining options at Purdue

By -
Image
Jenn and her friends after the Thankgiving dinner Food is an integral part of our day. For some people, the very first thing they do in the morning is eat breakfast. I personally prefer my cup of coffee to a stack of waffles. Nonetheless, food has the power to pick up a bad mood, enhance a good mood, and even ease the stress you are feeling about exams and homework. The awareness I have of how food impacts my mood is recently found since I started college in August. at home I usually came home to my mom or dad making something delicious in the crockpot. Suddenly I arrive at college and there are so many options that it can get overwhelming at times to figure out what to eat. Navigating the dining options at college did not seem like something I should have been worried about, yet it was something that took a month of experimenting to perfect.  The key is knowing where to go and what is consistent. I decided to help you out and give you some insight into how I view each dining option on
Read more

Top 10 Extracurriculars Purdue Students Want You to Join Outside of Engineering

By -
Image
1. Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM):  The biggest student-run organization on campus! You can join as a dancer, where you get to fundraise leading up to the 18-hour long event or be even more involved and join a committee! Some of the committees include Riley Relations, where you fundraise to sponsor events for the Riley families throughout the year & are paired with a Riley family for the night of the event, Special Events Committee, where you organize 5K’s and other events around campus throughout the year, and so much more! 2. Boiler Gold Rush (BGR):  Whether it be as a new student, a team leader (TL), or even a Supervisor, there are so many ways to get involved with BGR! This week-long event is held the week before classes start in August. As a new student, it is your first chance to meet your new colleagues and participate in many games, fountain runs, and other fun activities throughout the week. It is also a great way to familiarize yourself with the campus an
Read more