Verisk Analytics co-ops channel coding, data science to predict and prepare for disasters

Ryan Costa (left) and Nitsa Kanungo (right).

For more than 10 years, Verisk Analytics has enabled Northeastern co-ops to gain hands-on experience and apply data science through quality assurance (QA), software, cybersecurity, UX, and other positions.

Verisk is a global data analysis and risk management firm with more than 9,000 employees and a wide range of clients ranging from insurance groups to financial services companies to government agencies. By working across the company’s breadth of functions and sectors, the co-ops touch on projects related to data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and software development. Aside from innovative projects and cutting-edge technologies, Verisk also provides students with mentorship and guidance from experienced industry professionals.

Nitsa Kanungo and Ryan Costa, two of Verisk’s most recent co-ops, shared their experiences with Khoury News.

Nitsa Kanungo

Nitsa Kanungo’s two major choices reflected the inspiration she brought to Northeastern — computer science after a software role on her high school robotics team, business after recognizing the immense value of communication and interpersonal skills. So when Verisk representatives presented to the members of Northeastern University Women in Technology, Kanungo was hooked.

”Verisk gave me an opportunity to learn and grow in a very open and welcoming environment,” Kanungo said. “I knew that I would be pushed to tackle difficult challenges and go beyond trivial tasks.”

Kanungo picked up several new technical skills in her role as a QA analyst. As part of her day-to-day tasks, she ran risk calculations, such as detailed loss analyses on different builds of insurance software. She also gained exposure to other projects across the company, such as working on an application programming interface as a part of the core QA financial team.

“Verisk gave me the opportunity to learn as much as possible,” Kanungo said. “Through my work on comparative model testing, I gained valuable project management skills.”

In addition to her technical growth, Verisk’s open and collaborative work culture was one of Kanungo’s favorite parts of her co-op.

“I had a mentor assigned to me who helped me with my daily tasks, apart from my manager whom I reported to,” Kanungo said. “We were also encouraged to meet the other co-ops at monthly sessions and bounce ideas off each other. This has really changed my outlook towards major corporations and has broadened my horizons on where I see myself in the future!”

Ryan Costa

Like Kanungo, Ryan Costa gravitated towards computer science in high school, finding that “manipulating computers seemed like magic.” Now, as he majors in data science with a minor in psychology, Costa believes his understanding of consumers’ thought processes provides him with an edge in finding business solutions, coding to visually represent data, building pages to highlight products, and designing inputs to satisfy clients.

“Knowing the basis of client wants, such as what actions the user will take while approaching the product, helps me design programs accordingly,” Costa said. “You may be surprised by what a client notices in your product; it may have been something you never imagined.”

Costa translated those lessons from his courses into his core QA co-op with AIR Worldwide — recently acquired by Verisk and renamed Extreme Event Solutions — which he concluded in December. EES provides a suite of risk management and analytic services to help businesses and government organizations prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural and man-made disasters.

“Verisk’s mission of tackling the challenges posed by natural disasters fits with my passion for data modeling,” Costa said. “Coming from Florida where hurricanes are no stranger, I know the impact of accurate insurance rates on residents’ lives. I wanted to contribute to a cause that helps people prepare for natural calamities.”

At Verisk, Costa and his team developed catastrophe prediction models to estimate the costs of natural disasters. The technology is especially useful to insurance companies, which use models to determine the likelihood and severity of catastrophes, giving them a head start on calculating financial damages. Specifically, Costa developed testing suites for the Touchstone software to test its resilience.

“I had taken a course called ‘Database Design’ just before my co-op. Interestingly, I found myself using SQL and Python — which I had learned in class — in my core QA role,” Costa said. “This co-op made me delve deeper and figure out how to use my academic skills. I had to explore different testing suites using a combination of programming languages like Python and R to check whether the outcome we found matched our expectations.”

Apart from leveling up as a data scientist, Costa cherished the workplace culture — and not just because of the team’s memorable trip to Georges Island.

“With a supportive manager, I learned that asking for help is always welcome,” he mentioned. “I loved the work culture at Verisk, and it would be one of my first choices for work in the future.”

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