From intern to PhD: Frassetto describes his path
During the summer of 2003, I was a recipient of an IRIS Undergraduate Internship, allowing me the opportunity to spend ten weeks at the University of Arizona working with my now-PhD advisors George Zandt and Susan Beck. Conducting an independent study far from my familiar environment at the University of South Carolina proved to be a challenging, frustrating, but rewarding time. The internship proved to be a turning point in my academic career, an opportunity which pushed forward my understanding and appreciation of seismology and drew my interest to further exploring the research questions associated with Cordilleran tectonics. The initial internship experience, which began as a simple summer project, expanded into an AGU fall meeting abstract and then senior thesis before finally culminating in a peer reviewed article [Frassetto et al., 2006]. From a personal standpoint it has been exciting to see an initially small aspect of my undergraduate degree expand into an important cornerstone of my graduate education. My experience and the stories from other interns with whom I have interacted convince me that these internships provide an unparalleled opportunity to learn and appreciate seismology as an undergraduate. In my case, it set me on a journey that continues today.
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