On board the Abyssal (intern)ship
On this very day, one year ago, I joined the Abyssal team as an intern, more specifically, in the AI research team. While a normal day for most, for me it was both my first day and my birthday, information that became known quickly among everyone. Consequently, during a regular company meeting, they welcomed me with the “happy birthday” song and, although I don‘t care to admit it, I blushed a bit from the attention.
The first few days were spent acclimatizing with the environment and with the prospective work. Everyone was nice and lunchtimes always proved to be prime opportunities to socialize. As a bonus, as Abyssal’s office is close to the beach, it provided for multiple fun gatherings for beach-related games. As a matter of fact, I specifically remember needing to tone down my volleyball abilities just so as to not overshadow my fellow colleagues. So, for future reference, if I did not play well, it was on purpose *cough cough*.
As a research team member, I took part in daily meetings where each team member made sure to support the other. Despite having the freedom to research methods that I thought better to solve a given task, the daily team talks helped to lead my own research. This allowed me to independently and confidently learn as well as make mistakes, though thankfully due to the support and expertise of the team, in the right direction. The team is also constantly learning and analyzing state-of-the-art methodologies, providing an intellectually nourishing environment.
After two-and-a-half summer months, my internship came to an end. However, shortly after, I came back. This time to conclude my master thesis and write my dissertation, which extended the work I had already conducted during the summer. I wander in the realms of deep learning as I developed fish segmentation and depth prediction in underwater images. I also used Abyssal’s simulator to acquire synthetic data and applied it to the problems mentioned before using domain adaptation techniques.
Synthetic data obtained by Abyssal’s simulator. RGB simulated image (left) paired with its segmentation mask (center) and depth map (right).
The internship enriched my knowledge in the AI field and improved my understanding of workplace dynamics. I certainly know that I acquired some essential knowledge that previously was missed during my years of study. I hope to keep improving my skills, or rather, I know it’s guaranteed as, starting this summer, one year later, I will join Abyssal as a team member!
If you, just like me, are looking for a fun and rewarding experience you just have to board Abyssal’s (intern)ship.
