I’m Shreya Nimbali, a senior majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics at UMass Amherst. During the summer of 2023, I interned at Delta Airlines as a data engineer, which was my first introduction to the field. My role focused on enhancing data processes to improve operational efficiency.

One of my key projects involved developing a dashboard to monitor inflight medical events. This project encompassed the entire ETL process — extracting data, transforming it for analysis, and loading it into a visual dashboard — providing valuable insights for decision-making and improving in-flight medical response efficiency.

The projects I worked on at Delta Airlines directly aligned with my career goals of leveraging the power of data for impactful decision-making. By utilizing AWS tools and data visualization techniques, I was able to enhance my skills in data manipulation and analysis, reinforcing my passion for using data to drive business improvements and support strategic initiatives.

My advice for students pursuing data engineering is to recognize that it is a niche role requiring a specific skill set. Beyond Python programming, mastering SQL for data manipulation is essential, along with familiarity with cloud services like AWS.

Proficiency in visualization tools such as Tableau or Power BI can also enhance your ability to present insights. Focus on hands-on projects that cover the entire data pipeline, and seek opportunities that provide practical experience in these areas.

Starbucks reported quarterly earnings and revenue below analyst’ expectations, with sales in the U.S. and China, its largest markets, underperforming. THis is the first earnings report under CEO Brian Niccol, who joined on Sept. 9th to lead a turnaround.

Niccol has pledged a strategic overhaul, including a goal to deliver drinks within four minutes, bring back self-serve condiment bars, remove extra charges for milk alternatives, and improve staffing. While focusing initially on North America, Niccol plans to assess China’s operations. Starbucks will also reduce new cafe openings and renovations to fund this transformation. Shares remained steady in after-hours trading. Read more HERE from CNBC.

Honeywell has partnered with Google to integrate its Gemini generative AI and Vertex AI platform with Honeywell’s industrial data across sectors such as aerospace, healthcare, and manufacturing. Launching in 2025, the collaboration aims to improve productivity, reduce maintenance times, and tackle labor shortages through AI-driven isnights and autonomous operations.

This partnership will connect Google AI to Honeywell Forge, providing real-time support for technicians and engineers. Honeywell also explores Gemini Nano for rural areas, and CEO Vimal Kapur anticipates a rapid AI adoption in the industrial sector by 2025-26. Read more HERE from the CNBC.

BobaTalks has partnered with Google Grow to support underrepresented groups of students in the early career space. They are doing so by redistributing micro-scholarships that will cover the costs of a Google Grow certificate. These come at no expense to you and just require an .edu gmail account to activate if selected!!

Last time around, they focused on community colleges students to provide these Google Grow scholarships and for the month of October now - they are focusing on students from non-target schools.

The types of Google Grow certificates include:

Apply today HERE, tomorrow is the last day to apply!