Mexican computer science student David Quiroz Marin discovers a new hope through Globalink

“I’ve got nothing to lose—there is so much opportunity in Canada” says David Quiroz Marin, the smile on his face evident in his voice over the phone. The Computer Science student from the University of Guanajuato, Mexico completed an internship on software data visualization at École Polytechnique de Montréal’s Department of Computer Engineering this summer with Dr. Giuliano Antoniol.

In collaboration with fellow Mitacs Globalink student Nayantara Duttachoudhury, he has developed a system to visualize the evolution of a software program from its first inception to the latest edition. It’s something like being able to see —in a simple, compact way— the changes of internal computer code from the first-ever edition of “Multi-tool Word” in 1983 to the current Microsoft Word 2010. This type of information is useful to software engineers and designers as they continually advance software to be faster and more user-friendly for new computer operating systems.

For David, working on this project has helped to expand his understanding and skill set in data visualization and computer graphics. “This internship was an opportunity to try something new and to learn more about my academic field.” he says.  Beyond his new understandings of the laboratory, being a part of Mitacs Globalink has exposed David and his cohorts to a wealth of experiences in Québec, and central Canada.

He and his fellow Globalink  students have travelled to Niagara Falls, historic Québec City and David’s new favorite, La Ronde Amusement Park. Another highlight was attending a seminar about the Canadian economy as well as a project management workshop through Mitacs Step. However, he found a  discussion seminar on entrepreneurialism in Canada to be particularly engaging: “The culture of having your own business and following your dream in Canada is inspiring!”

The experiences he has had through his Globalink internship as well as the warm welcome he has had in Canada have motivated him to want to return as soon as he is able to.

“Right now, my plan is to do my Masters and to work in Canada’s digital media sector after finishing my undergraduate degree. I would have a new hope in Canada and a chance to change my life drastically for the better. My internship through Mitacs Globalink has only confirmed this dream for me.”