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Part 1 of 2:
For many students, summer is a time of rest—a time to restock their Vitamin D after months spent poring through books in dimly lit libraries. But for others, it’s a time to follow their passions.
In the case of Global Talent Fund BIG Scholars, this meant machine learning and mathematical mastery, with internships and summer schools across the globe… and a bit of sun thrown in.
Summer programs and internships aren’t just glossy resume-fillers. They are laboratories for growth, where students learn to navigate the real-world pace of organizations, collaborate with diverse teams, and build networks, both personal and neural.
Because why wait for graduation?
Bagels & The NYC Discrete Math REU
“I was able to live in New York for six weeks and experience so much,” says Sida Li, a BIG Scholar studying a math degree at Trinity College, Cambridge.
With support from GTF, Li joined the NYC Discrete Mathematics Research Experience for Undergraduates—an intensive, 8-week, hands-on summer research program held in New York—twelve students, five supervisors, and one city that never sleeps. For Li, it was his first time in the Big Apple, and one he relished.
“I loved it,” he says with a broad smile. “I already miss the food. I’ve tried making my own salmon and cream cheese bagel, but it’s just not the same.”
Aside from sampling the city’s famed deli delicacies, Li worked on open-ended problems in linear algebra and tensors. Li worked on open-ended problems in combinatorics and tensors, which are 3D or even higher-dimensional tables of numbers. Think of an upgraded version of a vector or matrix, which can model a lot of different situations - in Li's case, a binary function that is used for communicating data between parties.
But this wasn’t just ‘keep-busy’ work created for the participants’ sake. What began as a focused investigation quickly grew, with a new angle on tensor ranks expanding much further than anybody expected — an ongoing investigation.
“I’d love to continue the research this upcoming year and see if I can balance my degree and research. I’m really invested,” Li said.
“The program was incredibly enriching. It offered plenty of hands-on research and loads of opportunities to think on your own, which isn’t always the case in these programs.”
Students were required to give weekly progress presentations, culminating in a final talk—an ‘outside of the comfort zone’ process that Li credited for a substantial personal change.
“It really developed how I present and communicate. In the past, I went too fast and nobody understood me. As the programme went on, I realised people need time to absorb what you’re saying.”
The cohort—selected from 850 applicants worldwide—became an academic network and a social anchor. The group visited peers at places like Rutgers University, and partners at Jane Street Capital, a program sponsor. But it wasn’t just about work. Everyone lived together in the Columbia University dormitories, and after 5 p.m., “most talk of math was forbidden.”
They watched Survivor, organized weekly socials—board games, rollerblading, neighborhood explorations—and spent the Fourth of July on Roosevelt Island (the main fireworks, unfortunately, were on the other side of the city).
“We now have a big community of alumni from this programme,” Li says, with plans to reunite in Washington, D.C., for a math conference this winter.
Back in Cambridge, Li returns to his coursework with horizons thrown open.
“It was a great opportunity to meet more international students who have gone through different forms of education. This small number of people had been selected from thousands. Just being around them was a fantastic experience.”
Eastern Europe’s AI Rise
AI research in Eastern Europe “is lagging behind Western counterparts,” according to Ervin Macic, a BIG Scholar studying Mathematics and Computer Science at Pembroke College, Oxford. But Macic, from Sarajevo in Bosnia, is keen to change that.
His first summer as a BIG scholar saw him double up on machine learning summer schools. First came EEML—the Eastern European Machine Learning Summer School, coincidentally held in his hometown of Sarajevo. Founded by a group of Romanian researchers in 2018, EEML’s organizers now include a glittering array of talent, many from Google’s DeepMind, who give their time each summer to return to their roots and help foster AI research across Eastern Europe.
Getting in “required a significant effort,” Ervin says. Applicants submitted original research or rigorous reviews of at least three papers; the acceptance rate was just 18%.
The week involved high-level talks and deeply technical ones on subjects like reinforcement learning and diffusion models, as well as labs that allowed participants to gain hands-on experience in the presence of experts. Yet while the teaching was fascinating, the cultural context made a huge impression on Macic.
“Before EEML, I didn’t even know there were people from Bosnia working at AI companies like DeepMind,” he said.
“It changed my outlook on the world. I always thought working for top firms and labs was rare and didn’t happen to people from Bosnia. But meeting these people and learning about how they worked made everything seem much more approachable.”
After EEML came the Mediterranean Machine Learning Summer School (M2L), held in sunny, but thankfully tourist-light Split, Croatia, in September. Days were filled with lectures on computer vision, neuroscience, and natural language processing taught by researchers from leading AI companies. And the evenings brought swims, beach volleyball, and other social events. While Macic noted that M2L didn’t have the same depth as EEML, it still provided moments he’ll remember forever.
“I reviewed three papers from Anthropic, and some of the authors were actually there. It was inspiring to meet them face to face.” He left with lasting contacts—and a concrete opportunity: after chatting with a Czech startup, he followed up and received an offer for a research internship next summer. “Direct consequences of the summer school,” he says.
What stood out wasn’t just the content but the culture.
“Everybody there deserved to be there,” Ervin says. “I was either the youngest there or the joint youngest and met people much older who’d finished their education, but it felt like a level intellectual playing field. I never felt looked down on.”
He’s candid about Bosnia’s constraints—limited funding and few top-level mentors—but excited about its promise: strong students, untapped potential, a proud tradition at the International Math Olympiad, and a growing AI scene.
“I owe my success to people who gave back,” he says. “I want to do the same—for Bosnia and for Eastern Europe.”
Want to hear more from Sida, Ervin, and other BIG Scholars? Check out Sida’s profile interview, and Ervin’s. Ervin was also featured in The Economist. All BIG Scholar profile interviews are available here.
This blog is cross-posted to LinkedIn. Part 2 of this 2-part series is coming soon.
