“When I was offered the job [here at AbbVie], I was told that I would be working remotely. I never had a remote job living in the Midwest, so I thought, ‘Wait, I can work wherever I want.’ I then asked myself, ‘Well, where do I want to work?’ And the answer I decided on is – not inside,” Nick says.
What if you were told you could work anywhere? Would you work from the comfort of your own home, meeting the dress code standards of a nice button-up and pajama pants? Or would you find peace at your local coffee shop, needing the structure of a routine, too distracted by the craziness at home? While many choose one of the options above, some may be even more creative with their work-from-home environment and take it one step further.
Nick Capaldini, a Data Scientist here at the AIC, worked in a serene environment out in the great outdoors. He found solace among the trees, near the water, in what he called the Data Hut: “I named the space the Data Hut because it captures the goal of the site to be a small, simple setting that lets one work with data while surrounded by nature,” Nick said.
Nick and his family have a cabin in Northern Wisconsin that is “historically known for having bad WIFI service.” Upon upgrading the WIFI, Nick quickly tested the waters and began his work away from home in his cabin in the woods. However, he wanted to be completely intertwined with nature: “There was a spot on our property with a great view of the water, but there were bugs everywhere so I needed to figure out some way to make it more comfortable,” Nick explained.
As a big believer in prototyping, Nick “could have jumped straight into building a solid wooden structure first, but it could have been cost intensive, there could have been issues with the WIFI, or there could have been issues with the structure heating up too much during the day,” Nick said in a video he made detailing the thought processes and the build (video is also embedded on the left side of this page!). Finally, with some trial and error, Nick found a way to work outside in a standing tent, close enough to the cabin’s WIFI, protected from the bugs, with a beautiful view of the water: “By trying the concept out with the tent first, I got the chance to experiment, play, and find out what works.”
As mentioned previously, Nick is a Data Scientist at AbbVie, within the Connected Plant Program, working specifically with a Westport plant in Ireland which focuses on Botox production. As a Graduate Student in Applied Data Science at the University of Michigan, Nick has worked at the AIC for more than six months. During his undergrad at the University of Oregon, Nick had dreams of working at Nike as he was very interested in sketching designs and prototypes: “I started to discover that what really interested me in shoe-making was actually the manufacturing process and how things were created. I ended up shifting from a designer role, interested in sketching out shoes, to more of an interest in manufacturing and how things are actually made. One of the biggest problems with that is this new wide availability of data and challenges with turning that information into insight. So, that’s what got me interested in data science,” Nick said.
Nick has learned a myriad of new topics in his roles here at AbbVie and he credits the AIC for his professional development. He specifically credits the Lunch & Learns for his success in his role: “I actually first learned about the role I am in now from a Lunch & Learn when I was [in my first role here at the AIC],” Nick explained. By working at AbbVie, Nick believes that he is learning important things about data and the real world that would be difficult to pick up with just an online course in school.
Outside of his role here at AbbVie, Nick is also an avid runner and is running his first marathon this October. Support Nick in his efforts by donating at the link below:
“I am also running my first marathon this October. I am doing it as part of a team raising money for a charity called Achieving Cures Together. It is a nonprofit partnered with the University of Minnesota that specializes in microbiome research. The research has the potential to cure diseases such as Obesity, Diabetes, Allergies. My goal is to raise $1,200 before October 3rd. If you'd like to support me, you can donate here.”
Learn more about Nick’s journey by watching his video interview and click here to read about more talented AIC students and alumni. For more information on the AbbVie Innovation Center email [said email].