Author: apark

Farewell Blog

My internship finally came to an end. My main goal for this summer was to figure out whether I want to be in industry or academia. During the summer, I worked hard to figure this out by getting myself involved in data analysis, proposals, and business meetings. Since I only have one more year at Brandeis, I plan to build on this experience as much as I can. I now know that I plan to pursue my career in industry. I plan to use my network to explore the industry and figure out what I’m truly passionate about.

 

This internship taught me something I already knew, but never really paused to think about: Don’t waste your 20s making money, but find your passion and spend the rest of your life doing your passion. Now, I want to learn more about my passion. What is it about industry and science that I love? Where do I learn the most? What exactly keeps me up late at night and is this the reason I wake up 5 in the morning to get a head start? I want to spend the rest of my Brandeis experience figuring this out. I owe it to myself and owe it to myself to gain additional experience in what I’m passionate about.

 

For anyone interested in finding a career in industry with science, I have an advice for you: Dive head first and give it all you have. You won’t know if it’s for you unless you do. You have nothing to lose (e.g. no kids, no mortgage, no house, etc) so why not take the risk? If you’re interested in Innerscope Research, I have the same advice: Give it all you have. It is not the ONLY firm to work for that has uses science in industry however, it is a good one to give a try.

Image-1

 

Alicia Park, ’15

 

Mid-Point Post

I gave myself learning goals before I started my internship. However, I wasn’t expecting to learn this much. I told myself that I would explore the different areas within the company (check), figure out if I enjoy industry more than academia (check), decide on when to pursue graduate school (check), and figure out whether or not I want to work at Innerscope (check). The learning curve has been steep at Innerscope and I know I am far from mastering it. However, I did reach my personal goals and have learned so much more. Not only have I been welcomed into this company, but the employees have helped me figure out which personalities I work best with, what environment suits me, and who I am.
For the longest time, I have been in denial of graduating and finding a job. I can now confirm that I have learned and grown at Innerscope because I am no longer in denial of growing up. “Learning” is definitely a difficult concept to measure without an assessment, but there are other ways. It’s not all about attending lectures and taking exams. Learning is about having the courage to explore new territory and expanding your curiosity. This type of “learning” is what I have learned during my internship. Over the past month and a half, I have had the opportunity to explore the intersection of neuroscience and market research. Of course, there is more to dive into, but from what I have explored so far, I have been able to not only understand the company, but myself as well. And this is what I am most proud of. Innerscope helped me gear towards one pathway (rather than a million). As a college student, I always worried what my major would be, what I would study, and what I would do. Innerscope helped me develop a path and it’s the best feeling a student can ask for.
For my future career and academics, I will be able to transfer my interpersonal skills and thinking-style. There is a particular way of thinking in market research, especially when most of the project managers have a Ph.D. They have taught me how to analyze, strategize, and create a project from beginning to end. I am still getting use to this way of thinking, but I will most certainly use this style of thinking in my classes back at Brandeis!

Alicia Park, ’15

First week at Innerscope Research

My first week at Innerscope Research is finally over and I already feel at home. I first heard about the company through personal research. When I heard a representative was speaking at a conference at Harvard, I immediately registered. From that point on, I kept in contact and reached out to current employees as well. I was passionate about what they did and wanted to get involved in any shape or form. In the spring, I applied for an internship and was able to secure a position for the summer! I didn’t expect to get one since it is a small company. However, things worked out and my first week is already over.

Innerscope Research

I walked into the place on a Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. I sat on a couch as I waited for the Internship Director to come by. I was welcomed with a big smile and a somewhat awkward handshake. The office is on the second floor of a building and is split into two office spaces. On one side of the building is the Media Lab where participants come in for experiments. Opposite of the Media Lab are the office rooms and conferences. Of course, they also reserved an area for the interns! I have my own desk and work computer (still figuring out how to use). Everyone welcomed me into the company and went out of their way to introduce themselves to me at my desk. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting everyone to be so kind and genuine. After a few days, I was already able to joke around with some of the Analysts, Project Manager, and the CEO (we’re buds now)!

From this summer internship, I hope to learn from the Analysts and Project Managers. A decent amount of employees have their Ph.D and I plan on figuring out whether graduate school will be in my future path as well. Innerscope’s purpose is what I have always wanted to do. By the end of the summer, I hope to figure out whether or not this is the place for me.
_______________________________________________

Innerscope Research is a market research company that uses neuroscience tools to answer clients’ questions on marketing. Their methodologies include eye-tracking, facial coding, and biometrics. Eye-tracking is used to locate where the consumers are looking at within an ad/commercial. Facial coding is used with cameras to study facial muscle movements that correlate with certain emotions. As for biometrics, Innerscope specifically uses GSR ( galvanic skin response) to focus on sweat glands and a heart monitor. With these tools, Innerscope is able to study how consumers react to ads. For instance, does the Twix commercial make a consumer engaged and focused? Are the consumers focusing on the characters during the PopTart commercial? Exploring with consumer neuroscience depends on the clients and what they’re looking for. Innerscope Research’s main goal is to analyze consumer’s non-conscious behavior to improve marketing/advertising worldwide. Sounds cool? Trust me, it’s even cooler from behind-the-scenes…As an intern, my main responsibility is to help and support projects through data entry/analysis, client reports, and data mining. I work closely with a Senior Analyst who is also the Internship Director. With him, I will be exposed to the different departments within the company including Sales, Marketing, and Finance. There is also an Internship project that I was assigned with the other intern. Luckily, this isn’t due until the end of the summer.

They also keep their twitter up-to-date!

 

 

– Alicia Park, ‘ 15