A Total 2020

To say this summer was unusual would be an understatement. Like many of our peers, the MISTI-India program pivoted in March to figure out how to continue to offer our students enriching remote opportunities, in lieu of traveling to India.

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Although both staff and students were initially disappointed by the sudden change in our summer programming, we were delighted to have been able to convert a handful of internships to remote opportunities for our students. Included below are some of their reflections.

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In addition to engaging our students, we were keen to figure out ways in which to connect with and involve our hosts, alumni, and broader community both here on campus and beyond. In May, we hosted a webinar featuring speakers from our host and partner organizations such as Hank Levine, founder of iPlace, Anushka Shah, founder of Civic Studios, and Anirudh Sharma, founder of Graviky; in July we co-hosted a webinar with our MISTI colleagues on the global impact of COVID-19 on higher education, and were delighted to have Ravi Kumar, President at Infosys as one of the panelists; in addition to this, we worked with graduate students Shail Joshi (MCP ‘20) and Radhika Singh (MCP ‘20) in showcasing their thesis work on the drought-prone Betwa River in Northern India by hosting a webinar with experts in climate change, rural development, and ecology, and launching an online exhibition of their work.

Here is a snapshot of our students' experiences this summer.


Grace Smith (MIT Mathematics and Computer Science & Engineering ‘23), Intern with Virtual Learning Team at Ek Kadam Aur

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Grace’s internship involved working to assess the tech products available for use in Ek Kadam Aur’s virtual classrooms, and make selections and recommendations based on her research. At the end of her internship, she compiled a Technology Selection Guide for use post-COVID-19.

“I hope my guide helps them more easily set up classrooms moving forward,” Grace explained. “I learned that setting up these kinds of classrooms is expensive, and that humid Asian climates can sometimes degrade electronics, so it is important to select pieces of equipment that can handle this kind of strain.”

“[This experience] made me realize that my skills can be applicable for social impact, and this is a very important thing. I might look for similar opportunities in the future.”

Dhyey Gandhi (MIT Chemistry and Biology ‘23), Research Intern with Dr. Sengupta’s Lab at IISER Pune

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Dhyey worked under the supervision of Professor Sengupta, who is the head of the Chromosome Biology Lab at IISER Pune. Members of the CBL study several aspects related to chromosomes. He specifically worked on lamins, a group of nuclear proteins widely believed to be critical for chromosomal organization within the nucleus.

“I would consider that my biggest accomplishment was successfully finishing writing a 20+ page article which summarized the relevant information on the topics I was assigned to read,” said Dhyey. “I wasn’t sure if I had enough experience or expertise required for independently writing one. However, with my hard work augmented by valuable feedback from Prof. Sengupta and a PhD student in his lab, I finally managed to get it done.”

“The article may get published in a journal in the near future, which would be my first scientific publication and thus a great milestone in my scientific journey.”

Mike Sugarman (MIT Master’s in Comparative Media Studies ‘21), Production Intern at Civic Studios

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Mike interned with Civic Studios, a social justice-oriented, civic media production company. The goal of his summer project was to develop short videos for distribution on social media (primarily WhatsApp) that advocate for progressive social change. He helped build an app that tracked the success of these campaigns and also produced a video himself.

“[This experience] gave me a good sense of what working as a producer with a civic media project entails, which will be invaluable as I pursue such work moving forward,” Mike reflected. “Key among this was thinking through how to craft messaging to the public, which is an exciting skill to practice.”

Although Mike’s expectations for his summer experience changed abruptly, his project was still useful towards his broader graduate studies. “It helped me think about how people use video and interact on social media, which is important for my thesis on live streaming.”


Though we weren’t certain of how much we could salvage from this unusual summer, we’re pleased it was not a Total 2020!

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Student Reflection: Nieky Wang

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Research Internship Contributions Featured in Proceedings of the National Academy Of Sciences USA