Luther senior Mahachi interns at Google Venice

Participating in a mathematics program with 36 other undergraduate students at the University of California, Los Angeles, Luther College senior, Onward Mahachi, of Chaona, Zimbabwe, served as an intern with Google Venice.

Mahachi, the son of Jaqualine Mahachi and the late Duncan Mahachi, is a graduate of United World College in Waterford Kamhlaba, South Africa. He plans to graduate from Luther in spring 2018 with a major in mathematics.

The Research in Industrial Projects for Students at the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics, brings together seasoned and amateur mathematicians through research projects, sourced by businesses like Google, the Los Angeles Police Department and Aerospace. At Google, Mahachi and three other students collaborated with an academic mentor from the program and three industry sponsors from Google on applied mathematics study.

Requiring of its participants “endurance and flexibility, research report writing, time management, oral presenting and teamwork, the program is designed to mold students into well rounded mathematicians, who not only know how to do mathematics but also how to explain and put forth their ideas in the best way possible,” said Mahachi.

Mahachi’s research experience this summer solidified his passion for mathematics and his goal to pursue Applied Mathematics at a graduate level. Working with students from other colleges and universities expanded his understanding of the field and gave him another viewpoint which a liberal arts education encourages.

Approximately 10 percent of Luther students take an internship for academic credit each academic year. The Luther College Career Center assists students with their internship search through resume preparation, networking, online internship searches, career fairs, on-campus interviewing, and connecting the student to alumni through the college’s Alumni Internship Program. Students also meet with a faculty adviser prior to the internship to create an internship learning plan that includes learning goals and assessment benchmarks.

An internship work supervisor assists in the process by writing an evaluation of the student at the end of the internship. Students also complete a self-reflection form to help finalize the learning experience.

A national liberal arts college with an enrollment of 2,050, Luther offers an academic curriculum that leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree in more than 60 majors and pre-professional programs. For more information about Luther visit the college’s website: http://www.luther.edu.