We sat down with Harnish Modi, an intern in the financial transmission rights (FTR) department to talk about a typical day in his life interning at MISO. The FTR department administers transmission rights for all the source-to-sink paths in the MISO grid using auctions. These auctions are conducted annually, seasonally and monthly. From team meetings to euchre games, a lot happens throughout a typical workday as a MISO intern.
Morning Meetings
Harnish starts his day bright and early at 8 a.m. with a series of standup meetings. These meetings are crucial for setting the tone and direction for the day. The first on the agenda is a daily performance meeting, where the team discusses the day’s operations and any potential emergency situations that might arise. This meeting includes representatives from various departments, such as day-ahead operators, wo share updates on their respective areas.
Next is the daily intelligence meeting, which focuses on any software issues and provides informative updates on new developments in the cyber landscape. This is followed by a congestion management meeting, one that is specific to Harnish's team, where they check for any outliers in terms of congestion that might affect the grid.
Project Work and Coffee Break
After his morning meetings, Harnish grabs his coffee from the in-house Starbucks machine, sets up his music, and dives into project work. He is currently juggling two major projects, which he strategically divides into weekly tasks to stay organized and on track. Harnish stated that this week he is working on a tree prediction model based on historical day ahead congestion, binding hours, shadow price and FTR funding data of constraints as problematic vs. not problematic on a scale of 0 to 1. This time is usually uninterrupted, giving him a change to focus only on his project and make great progress!
Occasionally, a random meeting, like the MPMA Results Review, pops up, adding a bit of variety to his schedule.
IDEA Group Meeting
Today, Harnish has an IDEA (Data Mining and Engineering employee resource group) meeting. IDEA is one of nine employee resource groups available for all employees at MISO. This session brings together data mining and engineering experts to discuss ongoing projects, challenges, and innovations in the field. This type of collaborative environment fuels the creativity and problem-solving that goes on at MISO.
Lunch and Networking
Lunch is a special time for an intern at MISO. Today, Harnish is participating in a Euchre tournament. At MISO, for those who wish to play, random teams are organized and formed to play the card game during the week. This activity allows Harnish to network with people in different departments and even speak to the Executive Directors when they are on his team.
When not playing Euchre or eating lunch outside on the 701 patio, Harnish might attend an Intern Program Lunch and Learn, where he gains insights from different guest speakers and industry experts.
Afternoon Meetings and More Project Work
Harnish’s afternoons are usually packed with various meetings. His two projects are for two separate departments; therefore, he has to meet with different teams to gather more crucial information for his projects. In between these meetings, Harnish finds time to implement the changes discussed in his meetings into his projects.
Wrapping Up the Day
After a very busy and productive day, Harnish heads back to his housing arrangements and gets ready for intern social hour. Held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, this social hour is a great way for interns to unwind and bond. No matter if the intern is staying at the MISO arrangements or lives local, everyone gathers together. Recently, the interns have been quite enthusiastic about playing the card game bluff which makes this time together super fun.
Joining the Team
After a successful internship, Harnish accepted a full-time position at MISO. Inspired by the mission of the organization and the collaborative culture, he joined the FTR team as an analyst. The internship experience proved to be a successful and rewarding experience and MISO is thrilled to have him join the team.