Ajabor is majoring in computer science.
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – In this Scholar-Athlete Spotlight, we look at Florida Tech men’s indoor and outdoor track athlete Chinedum Ajabor.
This summer, the Port Harcourt, Nigeria native is gaining valuable experience through an internship in his field of choice. We caught up with Ajabolu to find out more about this exciting opportunity..
Which company will you be internning at this summer? What is your title and role within the company?
This summer, I will be working as a research and development intern at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, where I will be investigating how to model cognitive architectures that can make independent decisions to ensure they are safe when incorporated into future aerospace applications.
What attracted you to this internship and what steps did you have to take to secure a position within the company?
NASA is a robust institution with astronomical goals, and it is this potential impact that attracted me to the institution and the internship.
To fit into this role, I had to take specialized classes on modeling cognitive architectures and formal methods classes from Dr. Bhattacharyya to get familiar with niche concepts. I had to read several research papers and explore the current state of cognitive architectures to understand where my work fits in.
What are some of the interesting jobs or projects you’ve had the opportunity to be a part of?
I have been doing preliminary research, coding in Java, and model building. In addition to the technical work, I have been interacting and networking with NASA experts. [Langley Research] center.
What is your major at Florida Tech? Why did you choose this major and have you always wanted to pursue this field?
I was a Computer Science major and had always loved software in high school, and I was also good at coding and coming up with new uses for existing software, so I decided this was the path I wanted to explore.
How has being a scholar-athlete helped you in the work you are doing now in your internship? What skills did you gain from your experience as a scholar-athlete that helped you in your internship?
Being a student-athlete helps me balance the demands of work, school, and my personal life, which I have to juggle all 3 of those three during the semester. This work-life balance allows me to stay productive and not burn out.
Time management and effective communication are just a few of the skills I have been able to replicate as a scholar-athlete in the workplace.
What skills did you learn during your internship that will help you get a job at Florida Tech?
Interacting with a diverse group of interns provided me with different perspectives that I can utilize to more effectively communicate with and understand my teammates on and off the track.
How will your internship prepare you for the career you want after graduation?
An internship prepares you for your career by exposing you to niche technologies and providing great networking experiences that you can’t get in a classroom. The valuable lessons you learn at NASA can only be learned through trial and error in a dynamic work environment.
What advice would you give to other scholar-athletes or future scholar-athletes looking to follow a similar path?
For those of you who are trying to embark on a similar path, I encourage you to connect with people who are where you want to be, so you can learn from them and eventually reach their level, and maybe even surpass them.
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