Augmented Reality
Semantic Web.
Generation C.
Bitcoin.
M2M.
P2P
..
..
.
Woah.
In the past two weeks that I’ve spent doing my internship, I have realized two things:
• There is a world of technology out there I had never even been able to imagine
• There is a huge curiosity about technology in me that I never knew I had
What is innovation? What makes something innovative? Why are some things innovative, while others aren’t? How do we evaluate the extent to which a technology is innovative?
These are the kinds of questions answered by the Applied Innovation Team at the Royal Bank of Canada. The Applied Innovation (AI) Team was created for the purpose of developing technology solutions that improve the quality of the service that RBC provides for its clients and employees. It is up to the AI Team to spearhead the movement in innovation at RBC, helping come up with great ideas, and then turning them into reality.
For my 5-week internship, I’ve been given three tasks to complete.
Firstly, to research the semantic properties of a visual presentation software I introduced to the group, and think of ways in which this could be useful for the bank.
Secondly, to help another intern with a project which helps the company evaluate different technologies, and see which ones should be developed so they can be applied to RBC.
Thirdly, to contribute to knowledge management at AI by reading through all the business proposals for last year’s Next Great Innovator Challenge, and categorizing them by attaching topic tags. What is the Next Great Innovator Challenge (NGI)? The NGI is an innovation competition RBC organizes every year for university students. This year’s theme will be revealed on September 1st. If you went to Shad, it’s a great opportunity to use the entrepreneurship knowledge you acquired while working on the Shad Cup project! To find out more, you can go to http://www.rbc.com/innovator/innovation-at-rbc.html.
This internship has been an incredible follow-up to an unbelievable month at Shad Laval. What a great atmosphere to be part of - the people on the team are always friendly, and open to answering any questions I have! Each time I talk to someone, I learn something new. I’m so grateful for having been given such an opportunity – I know I will be using the skills I gain now throughout the rest of my life.
So: Augmented Reality. Semantic Web.Generation C.Bitcoin. M2M. P2P….
….It was a little overwhelming for me at first (and still is) - the sheer volume of learning I am doing every day (which isn’t limited to just the field of technology). But what I know now is that this is the pace I want to learn at for the rest of my life. I never want to slow down.
Alisa Ugodnikov
Applied Innovation, Royal Bank of Canada
Toronto, ON