Summer Intern All Stars

Meet the team

by Kacey Hadick
June 29, 2017

As a non-profit, CyArk thrives on volunteers and student interns. Internship programs allow us to teach the next generation of digital preservation specialists who also bring fresh ideas and knowledge to the organization. This summer we are grateful to have so many talented individuals that are helping us achieve our mission of digitally preserving cultural heritage around the world. In thanking them for their dedication and passion, we also wanted to give them an opportunity to tell a bit about themselves.

 

David Fang

What is your background?

I am currently a senior undergrad pursuing a degree in computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to working at CyArk, I worked at a startup called MossLabs in Berkeley, CA where I developed web and mobile applications for users to interact with the air quality data from MossLab’s environmental sensors. I am a strong believer in community work. Outside of academics and work, I am involved with the REACH! program on campus that helps promote higher education and foster community activism for Asian Pacific Islander students from underprivileged communities.

What drew you to apply here? Why CyArk?

When I first heard of CyArk, I was impressed not only by their mission, but also by how well that mission is carried out. Although CyArk only aims to preserve heritage sites, it has gone above and beyond as shown by the educational tools they provide and their most recent interest in creating virtual reality experiences. It is an organization that constantly seeks to meet the highest standard in what they provide; a feat that can only be attributed to its excellent staff and the quality of their work. There is no better place to grow as an academic and a community advocate than at a place like CyArk. It is my pleasure to have been given the opportunity to do so.

What are you working on/ what’s your summer project?

This summer, I will be reverse engineering and improving the GigaPan EPIC Pro camera mount that CyArk uses for photogrammetry in the field. There are three main goals to this project. The first is to speed up the amount of time it takes for the GigaPan to complete a panorama, which can be done by optimizing the path the GigaPan moves in. The second is to create a more accessible UI than the classic buttons and LCD on the original GigaPan by designing an iOS app that can control the GigaPan through a Bluetooth connection. Lastly, I will also be working on creating a way for the camera and GigaPan mount to communicate with one another, removing the need for a lot of the presetting that needs to be done.

 

Reema Pangarkar

What is your background? (Education/ work/ interests)

I received Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Art History, Classics, and International Politics from Penn State University and I am currently a Juris Doctor candidate at UC Davis School of Law.  

What drew you to apply here, Why CyArk?

I’ve been interested in cultural heritage since college and with cultural heritage disappearing at an alarming rate the need for preservation and protection of these sites in creative and modern ways is essential, my summer at CyArk allows me to work with a company doing just that.

What are you working on/ what’s your summer project?

I am working on researching heritage sites that the team will visit in the coming months to ensure the team is prepared for field work and familiar with the historical significance and features of interest at the site. I'm also reviewing CyArk’s past projects, summarizing what was done for the project to ensure the archive remains a valuable tool.

 

Desiree Valadares

What is your background?

I am a landscape architect with an interest in cultural heritage management. Currently, I am a PhD student in Architectural History at UC Berkeley where I study the inclusion of ‘sites of contention’ (internment camps, labor camps, massacre sites, and spaces associated with racial and gender-based violence) into the canon of historic sites in Canada and the United States.

What drew you to apply here, Why CyArk?

My current employment at the National Park Service in the Cultural Landscapes Division is complemented by my experience in the CyArk office. I am interested in blending more traditional heritage documentation, archiving and preservation practices like HABS/HALS and HAER with more innovative and technical approaches to heritage preservation!

What are you working on/ what’s your summer project?

At the moment, I assist with research to identify site features at a range of sites affected by climate change including the Great Wall of China, Rapa Nui, the Tower of London and Fort York (Toronto) with municipal stakeholders and private partners.

 

Sophia Morris

What is your background?

I am a rising senior at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View. I’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled around the world to countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa, and love to experience new cultures firsthand. I’m very passionate about history and am also interested in technology, especially virtual reality. I’d like to major in digital marketing in college, and believe that this summer experience will serve as a great opportunity where I can develop my skills in this area.

What drew you to apply here, Why CyArk?

I believe that CyArk’s mission is very important, and I love that I am able to be a part of it. I wanted to intern here because I love the idea of combining technology with history. I’m so excited for this opportunity because I am learning in ways that cannot be taught in high school.

What are you working on/ what’s your summer project?

This summer I’m organizing photos from a list of 55 priority projects that have been completed. My work includes cataloguing site pictures, using the photo stitching software, PTGui, to create panoramas, and editing pictures with Photoshop. My work will help complete projects that will immediately be sent to countries upon finalization.

 

David Fang works with the GigaPan EPIC Pro camera mount that CyArk uses for photogrammetry