Meet our Interns and Alumni

“Being part of the Giant Leap interns’ group made my internship experience even more memorable” 

Juuso Neuvonen, Master of Science (Economics) from Lappeenranta University of Technology, joined Vaisala in 2014 as a Giant Leap intern working with a life-cycle cost analysis project. Juuso is now working as a Accounts Payable Specialist at Vaisala.

“How did I found out about Vaisala? I was browsing the university’s job board when I came across the Giant Leap job ad. At that time, I was looking for both thesis opportunities and summer jobs as I just had finished all the courses for my Master’s degree. I wasn’t familiar with the Giant Leap internship program even though I already had a very positive view of Vaisala as a responsible and innovative technology company. After reading about the program and noticing this project topic that was of great interest to me, I decided to apply.

My project was about conducting a life-cycle cost analysis of Vaisala automatic weather stations (AWS). I researched the topic from the customer’s point of view calculating the total cost of ownership in three different maintenance scenarios. As part of the project, I created an Excel based calculation model and concluded the project with a life-cycle document that could be used for tendering purposes. 

I am a student of industrial engineering and management majoring cost management at Lappeenranta University of Technology. The Giant Leap project was perfectly in line with my cost management studies and I was able to apply my theoretical knowledge in practice. The project was challenging yet rewarding, and it provided me with a number of tasks from Excel modeling to exploring of sensor specific maintenance details. The internship truly fulfilled all my expectations and I really enjoyed my time at Vaisala. 

During the summer, I learned a lot about Vaisala’s weather station products and their maintenance procedures. In addition to cost calculations, I had an opportunity to explore various weather instruments, analyze their technical features and get to know Vaisala’s service offering. Having a project of my own was a great opportunity to take responsibility and learn more about project management in a real-life corporate environment.

The Giant Leap program was really an amazing experience! Vaisala people were very helpful and friendly, and the overall atmosphere was full of good spirit. The internship program itself was well-designed and organized in a professional manner. It was pleasant to see how smoothly everything worked out. One of the greatest things during the summer was being part of the group of other Giant Leapers that made the experience even more memorable.”​

“Vaisala Giant Leap internship program is highly valued inside the company as it gives the interns challenging opportunities to work on real-life challenges that the company is dealing with and wants to develop.”
Thu Nha Nguyen holds a master’s degree Information and Service Management from Aalto University School of Business. She joined Vaisala in summer 2015 as a Giant Leap intern and currently works as inventory coordinator at Vaisala.

“I worked as a Giant Leap intern for a project called Master Data Governance Model. My main responsibility was to visualize the current state of master data for product information and create a responsibility matrix tool for item’s data parameters so that it would support daily business and offer a solid platform for continuous improvements.

There are thousands of spare parts and sellable products. Their information is recorded into the system for business transactions and operations. In the high advanced technology industry, there are many perspectives need taking care of, which makes the operational system much more complex. During the internship, I was able to study more the data architecture and data management. I also learned a lot about product information flow from the product’s idea conceptualization to the ramp-up process. I got full support from my team and had a chance to interview different people working in different functions. All of them were really open for discussion. Talking with Vaisala experts helped me to understand difficulties in daily processes from their real experience. I was highly motivated by the project I worked on. I have found the information management greatly influential for the business but also really challenging for any company.

Working at Vaisala has been really interesting, not only from the product point of view but also from the business management side. The business has several market segments and provides a variety of products for different industries, ranging from aviation and road authorities to renewable energy markets. I appreciate the high advanced technology feature. There are always exciting things to learn every day. On the other hand, the organization comprises many different teams and is aligned as a cross-functional matrix, which requires well cooperation from employees. I think that the working environment is quite flexible and friendly. I have felt stimulated by the colleagues I’ve worked with. They are experts in their own fields yet, they listen and cooperate.

Truly, Vaisala Giant Leap internship program is highly valued inside the company as it gives the interns challenging opportunities to work on real-life challenges that the company is dealing with and wants to develop. The interns have full responsibilities and independence so you need to be initiative in self-management and finding a way to work on your own project."

“Vaisala understands the great potential students have. You are not just another summer intern. You really get involved with Vaisala and your work is appreciated.”
Karoliina Karppinen, student of University of Jyväskylä, joined Vaisala in summer 2015 as a Giant Leap intern.

“When I came across Vaisala and the Giant Leap internship program for the first time, I immediately found the company and the upcoming summer projects very interesting. I loved the slogan of the internship program: ”Come as you are, as long as you are curious”. Vaisala truly values intellectual curiosity and high motivation over specific degrees or achievements, which is marvelous for students with little experience. That encouraged me to send the application and I was overwhelmed when I was chosen to be one of the next summer's GLeapers!

My project involved testing competitor industrial humidity instruments. Besides testing and comparing their performance to Vaisala's products, I analyzed the test data and produced reader-friendly material for the international sales teams. The project was very versatile and involved practical laboratory work, information gathering and visualization of the obtained data. In the end of the summer I presented the results for various groups and the reports are available for Vaisala employees also in the future, so hopefully my project will have long-term positive effects. I felt really welcomed right from the start and it was really interesting to see how things work compared to the research in a university. The best part was to realize how much people really appreciated my work. One big part of the summer was also becoming friends with other Giant Leapers and other Vaisala employees; coffee breaks and get-togethers always cheered me up!

Currently I'm finishing my physical chemistry studies in nanoscience master’s program at University of Jyväskylä. I was therefore familiar with laboratory work, analyzing large amounts of data and calculating measurement setup error estimations, for example. Of course there were many aspects that I wasn't familiar with because I don't have a technical background, but it wasn't a problem since there was always somebody to ask help from."

"Vaisala has great company values, which are easy to agree with. Vaisala also takes good care of their employees. I would suggest Vaisala as an employer for everyone who is curious enough and interested in challenging and important work!”
Jesse Hietanen, student of University of Helsinki, joined Vaisala in 2015 as a Giant Leap intern. Jesse is now working as Software Engineer at Vaisala.

"I was looking for an internship and Giant Leap program got my attention. Vaisala has great reputation and I felt that Vaisala is doing important work and making our lives better. Stories and descriptions from previous year’s Giant Leapers gave also very good impression of the program. Projects felt also challenging enough, not forgetting the fun activities.

During my internship I worked in the Software Development unit of Vaisala. My project was about planning and developing an application for reading and modification of geographical data, using open source tools and industry standards. If I ever got stuck with my project or needed help with something, I could easily ask help from anyone, which was really important! I had also chance to visit our Birmingham office, which was useful and fun.

I am currently studying in the University of Helsinki, majoring in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). As minors, I have studied for example computer science and different environmental studies. I feel that skills and knowledge learned in the university was really useful for my project. I could apply the knowledge I had and actually give new ideas to the company.

I personally feel that I learned a lot from the internship. I learned new things regarding my studies and also a lot of about project and time management. Also working with international team, consisting of brilliant people, was really unique and instructive opportunity. I was really surprised how well people welcomed me and how interested they were in my project. In general, my time as a Giant Leap intern was really instructive and fun.

Vaisala has great company values, which are easy to agree with. Vaisala also takes good care of their employees. I would suggest Vaisala as an employer for everyone who is curious enough and interested in challenging and important work!”

“Giant Leap Interns are highly valued by everybody in the company, from the people I directly worked with to the high level management.”

Holger Teichgraeber is a graduate student at Stanford University, California. He joined Vaisala in 2015 as a Giant Leap intern in our Seattle office.

“I was looking for a summer internship program where I could apply my knowledge, skills and past experiences. A company that could feed my curiosity and challenge me with everyday projects that impact the company as a whole. The vision and values of Vaisala captured my interest and encouraged me to apply.

My project was about determining the value of renewable energy forecasting in global electricity markets with the focus on wind power. In order to find the value of forecasting, I researched and modeled electricity market rules for countries all over the world. After looking at markets in India, China, Europe and the United States, the diversity of rules that I found is astonishing! Would you have guessed that in the United States, there are over 100 different electricity market regulators that all impose different rules? We found that forecasting accuracy is valued significantly different in different markets around the world. My work has been presented on several occasions inside and outside the company and sharing my findings with others and having an impact is a very rewarding experience.

I am a Masters student at the Energy Resources Engineering Department at Stanford University. Before that, I got my Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University in Germany. I am passionate about the energy world and working on a renewable energy forecasting topic was highly rewarding. While I could apply knowledge on energy markets, wind power and programming skills, I was happy to learn many new things as well.

During the internship, I learned new things about meteorology, wind and solar forecasting, electricity markets, how to program in Python and many more technical details. To manage my own project was a great experience. As there was only limited project time but many interesting questions to be answered, learning how to prioritize and manage the most important parts of the project to get them done with high quality was another aspect. In addition, I could refine my presentation skills on several occasions by presenting to a large audience within the company.

I was welcomed from day one and truly part of the office. I felt that Giant Leap Interns are highly valued by everybody in the company, from the people I directly worked with to the high level management.  As I did my internship in Seattle, I can mostly talk about my experience there and that was very positive: The Seattle office is a great place to work at, with a wonderful view over downtown Seattle right out of the window and a glimpse towards the Pacific Ocean from the conference room out of the 21st floor. What would be a better place to work at? Everybody in the open office warmly welcomed me, was very supportive and made the internship a great experience.”    

Varun Thirani is a graduate student at North Carolina State University, pursuing his Master’s degree in Electric Power Systems Engineering. He joined Vaisala in 2016 as a Giant Leap intern in our Boulder office.

What made you interested in the Giant Leap internship program?

The project that I had applied for was something that was based on what I have always wanted to work on. Getting an opportunity to help correlate my theoretical knowledge to the practical aspect of the field was one of the driving forces that made me interested in this program. Also, Vaisala being a global giant in so many varied products and innovative research escalated my interest.

Could you tell us a little about your internship project at Vaisala?

My project here at Vaisala was based on Applications of Lightning Data on Power Distribution Systems. The project involved developing and conducting a market survey to understand the current use of lightning data in the industry and provide a feedback to enhance our product the FALLS Client and improve other services too. 

What is your educational background? Do you feel you could apply your skills and knowledge during your time at Vaisala?

I’m currently pursuing my Master of Science in Electric Power Systems Engineering at NC State University. My coursework purely covers the varied topics to understand the dynamics of Power Systems. Yes, I could apply my skills and knowledge and in fact I would say that, this project helped me enhance my skills, expand my knowledge and acquire new skills too.

What have you learned from the internship?

The internship has exposed me to various facets of a corporate world. Working at Vaisala, gave me an opportunity to improve my interpersonal skills, communication skills etc. The internship has also given me a motivation to enjoy tasks that urge you to work out of your comfort zone. It has made me realize that when a person does that, not only is he able to achieve the goals but also learns how to overcome failure.

How would you describe Vaisala as an employer to students who are seeking an internship?

I would surely recommend my friends and other students to apply to Vaisala because the company carries out research and development in not just one field but many. Also, the exposure I have received as an intern was tremendously wonderful. Getting the opportunity to interact with clients and the other employees was great too. Moreover, the company considers the results of the intern’s project for future development of their products and other services. This shows that our work is truly of great value to the company and I would surely urge students to apply for the Giant Leap internship program!