I also visited the gorgeous, new building for the McIntire School of Commerce, where I spent 2 years studying finance and management. Recognized as one of the country's premier undergraduate business programs, the Comm School emphasizes a case-based and collaborative learning culture. To simulate a real-world professional environment, we primarily worked in small teams to evaluate the net present value of a product launch or develop a new marketing campaign.
Therefore, I was happy to talk with students about how Google Apps can make their lives and schoolwork a little easier. On Wednesday morning, we pulled the bus right into Newcomb Hall plaza between the book store and student center. UVa recently deployed Virginia mail, so we demoed the cool features of some other Google Apps technology. Students were excited to learn about the real-time collaborative functionality of Google Docs. They appreciated that group work can become less annoying, because they can work on the same paper simultaneously, rather than having to save and send back and forth multiple times. We also heard from graduate students and first-years how they create their own surveys to conduct opinion polls in a Politics class or ask friends about the next trip to Wintergreen.
Overall, it was just a phenomenal visit to Charlottesville. We got to chat with really energetic students, faculty, and administrators and had a lot of fun too - tossing frisbees around the plaza and rocking out to "Say It Ain't So" on the bus. Thanks to everyone at the University of Virginia for "getting on the bus!"
This week the bus hits up UNC Greensboro, University of Virginia, and George Washington University as we continue to head cross-country spreading the word about Google Apps. Make sure to check back for our updates and pictures from the road.
Posted by Maria Rodriguez, Administrative Assistant, Engineering
This summer, we played host to some incredible university students around the world - from 14,000 feet (or 4,500 meters!) up in the Swiss Alps to the land down under in Sydney, Australia. Our interns are only at Google for a few months, but their impact and presence remain long after they leave. They are key players in our daily innovation and have the opportunity to make big contributions. So, we wanted to tell their story. After all, they are Googlers Beta. Here is the first of many stories in our on-going series about our awesome interns, our Googlers Beta.
"I held multiple focus groups with interns, developing strategies and getting advice on the best way to market Google Apps to college students."
Brittan Smith, University Programs Intern
Name: Brittan Smith
Hometown: Chino, California
Department: People Operations, University Programs
Education: BA in Sociology at Harvard University
My Story:
Interning on the Global University Programs team, I knew some of my work this summer would revolve around something I am passionate about: education. What I did not know was how much fun I could have being able to merge my passion for education with my interest in marketing and my desire to connect directly with students.
The opportunity to work with both the University Programs and Product Marketing teams with the Google Apps "App to School" campaign has led to three months of working with people all over Google to support the launch of many student-focused initiatives.
My work started with a focus on Google Apps marketing strategies on university campuses for the Google Apps cross-country Bus Tour. I held multiple focus groups with interns, developing strategies and getting advice on the best ways to market Google Apps to college students. From there, my project ballooned. Next thing I knew, I was using these groups to support the Campus Ambassador Program [program for university students interested in promoting Google on their campuses], and to build the Student Blog [highlights intern experiences, new product launches and university initiatives at Google]. The suggestions from the interns kept the ball rolling and one idea really stuck out: "we want to see more interns." With that, creating intern profiles for the Student Blog, Student Job Site, and Student YouTube Channel became my top priority. Now intern profiles are being launched on all of these sites for your viewing.
Knowing that my work not only affects my team, but also university students all around the world, is great to know at the end of my internship. This summer has truly been an invaluable experience.
Now to further support this mission, we have decided to incorporate the "App to School" bus tour in our goal of leading a clean energy revolution. The sustainable bus we're driving across the USA runs on 99% biodiesel and is powered by solar panels on the roof. Going one step further we are also going to offset five tons of carbon emissions released by biodiesel combustion through www.liveclimate.org, an organization that "funds" worthy carbon-negative projects in Nicaragua, Uganda, and Mexico. For our donation, we're going to support a small enterprise in Nicaragua (supported by the nonprofit E+Co) to install solar panels on homes, schools, and health centers. Light from the solar systems replaces kerosene lanterns that emit a lot of carbon for the small amount of light they provide. Half of the funds will go to Tecnosol to install solar panels, and the other half to E+Carbon, an affiliate of the nonprofit E+Co to provide technical assistance to Tecnosol and other small renewable energy enterprises.
Riding the bus in sustainable style makes for a much smoother ride. Learn more about how you can do your part to reduce your carbon footprint.
Posted by Miriam Schneider, Associate Product Marketing Manager and clean energy enthusiast
