Galois Intern Q&A: Angel Gallegos

‍This summer, Angel Gallegos – recently graduated from North Dakota State University’s (NDSU) computer science program – joined Galois as an intern. He’ll be continuing his journey this fall as he begins a master’s program in computer science at the University of Minnesota, while also extending his internship through the semester. We sat down with Angel to hear more about his work at Galois and what the experience has meant to him.

Galois: How did you learn about Galois and get connected with this internship?

Angel: That’s a fun story. In the computer science program at NDSU, seniors are required to complete capstone projects before they graduate: real-world, practical projects for real companies in industry. Galois partnered with NDSU this past year as a sponsor and I ended up working with them on a project called HealthyDocs. That collaboration gave me the chance to work closely with Galois engineers and get a feel for the kind of work they do.

Galois: And after graduating, you decided to return as an intern before starting grad school?

Angel: Exactly. Once I joined as a summer intern, I got to work on a different project. A lot of that work is classified, so I can’t say much about it, but I will say that it was really cool. 

On the unclassified side, I had the chance to work closely with Galois Research Engineer Kevin Quick. Kevin developed a Python implementation for a car model in Lando, and my task was to translate that into a state machine written in Ada, which is a more type-safe language than Python and includes a subset called SPARK, which enables formal verification.  I not only implemented the state machine, but also built a test framework around it. That framework will support future development of formally verified state machines using SPARK, helping ensure correctness in high-assurance systems.

Galois: Classic formal methods work! Did you have any formal methods experience before this internship?

Angel: No, I didn’t, but I’ve learned a lot. Before this internship, I had never coded in Ada, used SPARK, or done formal verification. Kevin helped get me up to speed over the summer, and I was even able to attend a workshop for more training in Ada. It’s been really interesting.

Galois: Has that hands-on experience with formal methods influenced the direction you want to take your graduate studies or future career?

Angel: 100%. It’s something I definitely want to keep in mind as I go through my master’s program. I have a research interest in artificial intelligence and robotics, and formal verification is super important for robotics and physical systems. I could definitely see formal methods being very useful moving forward. 

I love the use case for formal verification. It’s about making sure critical systems — the stuff that really matters – work correctly and stay secure. I feel good using it for that.

Galois: What has been your experience of Galois’s company culture?

Angel: Galois’s culture is awesome. I’ve done three internships before this one, and the culture here has been the best by far.

Galois: How so? What makes it stand out?

Angel: It’s the people. There’s one experience that comes to mind right away: during my first week, I sat down for lunch and John Launchbury – the founder of Galois – sat down next to me and we just had a conversation. That’s just crazy to me, but that’s how it is with everybody here. Galois is full of really smart people, but everyone is down-to-earth and happy to talk. You’re always learning something new.

Galois: How does that compare to other places you’ve interned?

Angel: At other companies, a lot of the work was implementation-heavy or felt like busywork. Here at Galois, they make sure that you’re always learning something and having fun doing it. I had a weekly check-in with Ted Hille, who was the Project Lead for the projects I was working on, and every time he would ask: “Are you still having fun? Are you still learning? Are you getting something out of this internship that’s valuable for you?” I think that’s really important. I hadn’t really experienced that kind of support before.

Galois: What’s been the most fun or memorable part of your internship outside of work?

Angel: Eric Leocadio, Galois’s facilities and events administrator, put together some awesome summer events for the interns. We went to a Hillsboro Hops baseball game and took a hike through the Colombia River Gorge where we saw six  different waterfalls. It was a really fun way to get to know people and experience the Pacific Northwest. 

Galois: What’s next for you?

Angel: I’m excited to be continuing my internship through the fall while I start my master’s program at the University of Minnesota. I’ll be working from Galois’s Minneapolis office when I’m not in class – campus is just a short drive away. I’m really happy I get to keep learning and working here throughout the school year.