Internships have always been a crucial stepping stone for young professionals looking to kickstart their careers. They hold an eagerness to learn & a willingness to embrace challenges head-on. Shagun Sengupta, one of our new interns, is no exception.
Our Marketing & Media Manager, Jaclyn, had the opportunity to sit down with Shagun to learn more about her background, the experiences that led her to Disaster Tech, and all that she has learned throughout her time here, thus far. Join us as we uncover the unique perspective and potential that Shagun brings to Disaster Tech, reminding us all of the importance of fostering growth and innovation in every corner of our organization.
J: Tell us a little about yourself.
S: I am a grad student the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan, specializing in both Geospatial Data Sciences and sustainable Systems. Prior to this, I was an SDE-2 at Phillips and I am an Information Technology Engineer. Interestingly, my mother is a Remote Sensing Scientist and my father is a Computer Science Professor, and then there's me with a bit of both. I am deeply passionate about using my technical skills to fight the climate battle.
J: How did you come across your internship with Disaster Tech?
S: I got the opportunity to network and exchange ideas with Jason Shafer, Chief Science Officer at Disaster Tech, at the Aspen Ideas: Climate Conference, where I am a part of the Future Leader's Cohort. He mentioned the internship program during a very engaging conversation about the solutions provided by Disaster Tech.
J: How have your skills and experiences been a good fit at Disaster Tech?
S: One of the biggest reasons I stopped at the booth set up by Disaster Tech at the Aspen conference was because the poster had all of my skills listed. It is rare to see an overlap of my varied interests and skills in one place and I was intrigued.
J: Do you have any background in Emergency Management?
S: Not really, but I am interested in and doing projects in the space of climate resilience and emergency management has facets that are extrapolated in the field of climate resilience. Disaster prevention is definitely better than cure and there is exciting scope to see the use of some of the predictive modeling done at Disaster Tech to plan for imminent increased disasters due to climate change.
J: What is the most interesting thing you have learned with your internship so far?
S: The electrical grid system in the United States and energy markets was something I did not know much of and was one of the most interesting things along with the common threats to the system. The simplicity of the issues and the complexity of mitigating them is fascinating.
J: Where do you see opportunities for advancing science and technology at Disaster Tech?
S: The multi-year prediction models are one of the biggest tools to inform decisions surrounding climate resilience and have the potential to affect and find use in every sector imaginable.
J: How do you anticipate this experience will help your career?
S: My focus is on using financial models to build climate resiliency and the energy and power sector has tremendous potential to grow. Through my projects and this internship, I have been able to better find my niche interest.
J: What other interests or non-work hobbies do you have?
S: I am a trained Indian classical dancer, so dancing is one of my dearest hobbies. Other than that, I find peace in cooking, painting, and writing.
Throughout this interview, we've witnessed the power of internships in shaping young minds and propelling careers forward, a great reminder that every fresh perspective is a catalyst for innovation within our organization. As we continue to welcome new interns into our ever-evolving company, we remain committed to nurturing their potential and providing an environment that fosters growth. Thank you Shagun, for joining our team and here's to the countless opportunities that lie ahead in your future.
To learn more about our full team, visit www.disastertech.com/about-us.
About Disaster Tech
Disaster Tech, a veteran-owned public benefit company, offers data science and decision science technologies for situational awareness, operational coordination, and risk management before, during, and after disasters. Disaster Tech’s goal is to save lives, protect the environment, and build resilient communities by providing the most sophisticated, advanced analytics and distributed high-performance computing platform on the planet. Find more at https://www.disastertech.com/.
Disaster Tech Media Contact
Jaclyn Silvestri
Jaclyn@disastertech.com