Emma Hogan '21 was asked to build a robot. Perhaps not the robot you're imagining. There are no arms or legs or flashing lights. In fact, compared to any sci-fi robot, Emma's bot may, at first, seem kind of lame. It automates daily transactions for the Hudson River Community Credit Union. But that bot will improve efficiency and accelerate Emma's job prospects - which is way better than science fiction.
Emma and her team built a bot that eliminates the risk of human error in routine transactions. It's better for the employer and the customers - and it's real world experience that will jump off Emma's resume. (Speaking of human error - Emma caught an error on a database created by her supervisor. Spotting it helped Emma stand out among the interns.)
Emma found the entire community at Hudson River to be very welcoming. She also enjoyed the commute. It took Emma an hour, each way, to drive from campus to the internship site, but the winding road up the side of a mountain in Corinth, NY was a bonus.
A computer science major, Emma sharpened her skills in systems management, troubleshooting, and query creation. It's a robust skill-set that she'll need sooner than expected. Emma was recently offered a research position at Carnegie Mellon University for the summer.
“Working towards automation is not about taking jobs away from people and giving them to robots. It’s about freeing up time for team members at a company to exercise their full creative capabilities.”
Emma Hogan '21
