MIT Basketball's Summer Recap 2013: Bender, Strobos, Levene

This past summer the members of the MIT Basketball team were busy both on and off the court, honing their skills in gyms across the US and taking advantage of the many research and work opportunities available. In this series we highlight each student-athletes' summer experience, beginning with three Juniors:

David Bender, Junior, 6'6", TX (Chemical Engineering/Materials Science Engineering)

(Photo: Tom Gearty)

Bender, the younger brother of former stand-out Billy Bender '12, was a research intern at Baker Hughes in Texas. Bender analyzed the physical properties of NiCr (nickel-chromium) superalloy under varying tests of time and temperature to determine the allows longevity in deepwater high pressure/high temperature wells.

Reinier Strobos, Junior, 6'7", TX (Computer Science/Materials Science Engineering) 

(Photo: Tom Gearty)

Strobos spent his summer working for Yahoo as a Software Engineer Intern. Strobos worked on the platforms team at the Internet giant's headquarters, building a web service which filtered social content so that it could be served more effectively to appropriate teams. 

Dennis Levene, Junior, 6'7", CT (Management Science/Mechanical Engineering)

(Photo: Tom Gearty)

Levene, a co-captain for the upcoming season, spent his summer working as an analyst for Marketfield Asset Management in New York City. Levene conducted equity research as well as performance and risk analysis for the fund, working closely with the head of research and senior management. Levene stayed on the campus of Columbia University, and was able to train with some of Columbia's basketball team. In addition to playing with teammates Russell Johnson and Ryan Frankel in the NY Urban League, Levene also played in NIKE Pro City for Big Apple Basketball. Competition in this heralded league included international, D-league, and NBA talent.