Hey everyone!
Ever since I first saw the film Prakti.com (The Internship), an internship with one of the "big" US corporations was on my bucket list. After the COVID-19 pandemic initially complicated my plans a bit, I made it this year after all and have been working at (Meta) Reality Labs Research in Redmond as a research intern since June 2022.
The combination of very exciting work and a completely new environment in the US overwhelmed me a bit at first – so many new people and experiences! As a research scientist intern, I’m part of the computer graphics team here in Redmond, working on novel methods to improve the efficiency and image quality of future virtual reality applications. Especially if you want to take into account devices with very weak computing power, a lot of creativity is needed here, for example, to achieve a good compromise between battery life, picture quality and ease of carryability. I’ve already been conducting research in this area for over four years at TU Graz as part of my doctoral studies, so it’s perfect for me to gain my first experience here in one of the largest research departments. I’ve already been able to learn so many new things from my colleagues!
In my free time, I’ve already done some exciting things with other interns. I highly recommend a hike on Mount Rainier – which is about a two-hour drive away, south of Redmond. Mount Rainier is a huge active volcano with a peak of over 4,000 metres, and the scenery and views there are truly breathtaking.
On the 4th of July, Independence Day, I also had the opportunity to watch the fireworks on Lake Union near Seattle from the 9th floor right on the lake with other interns – a typical American experience!
When I'm not out with other interns, I also enjoy walking around the Redmond area or relaxing by the pool at my accommodation.
To sum up, I can only say that this stay is still having a somewhat surreal effect on me and I’m really glad that I was able to tick off this entry on my bucket list at the end of the day!
Have a good one!
Thomas Neff
(Institute of Computer Graphics and Vision)
