Sophomore student dug deep into environmental monitoring with remote internship

Michael Jissa ‘28 spent the summer remotely interning for Atnaf, a coal mining company located in his hometown of Ethiopia. Throughout the APEX Fellowship, Jissa learned how to communicate effectively in a remote team setting and participated in analysis that aided in environmental change. 

“Since I’m interested in majoring in physics and math, having the chance to practice hands-on with these skills was very beneficial to me.” 

—Michael Jissa ’28

FINDING OPPORTUNITIES

Jissa: A friend of mine told me about the opportunity. The position was a good fit for me because it involved computer science and physics, both of which I’m currently studying at Wooster. Since I’m interested in majoring in physics and math, having the chance to practice hands-on with these skills was very beneficial to me.

LESSONS LEARNED

Jissa: I was really interested in applying physics and data analysis to real-world mining and helping with environmental monitoring. I mostly worked on cleaning and interpreting radiation survey data, building scripts to process large datasets, and summarizing my findings for my team. I used computational modeling and data tools to support worker safety as well when in the field.

GUIDANCE FOR GROWTH 

Jissa: My fellowship mentor was Megan Wereley, associate professor of education. She helped me succeed by providing thoughtful feedback on my reflections and reports, keeping me focused on professional growth throughout the internship.

EXPANDED PERSPECTIVE 

Jissa: I’ve strengthened my skills in data analysis, problem-solving, and remote collaboration. I also improved at communicating technical results in a way that’s clear and useful to non-technical audiences.

WHAT’S NEXT 

Jissa: This internship has informed me enough to strongly consider pursuing a path that combines physics and computer science. Through the internship process, I realized the value of computational tools in applied research and gained confidence in exploring graduate programs or careers in data-driven science.

Featured image: Michael Jissa ’28 worked remotely for his internship and strengthened his math and physics skills. Photo provided by subject.

Posted in Experiential Learning, Showcase Stories 2025 on August 6, 2025.