The Paris Olympic Games: behind the scenes from an electrical engineering student
Ever wonder who’s behind the scenes at the Olympics, the most broadcasted sporting event in the world?
Noah Bernstein, a third-year electrical and computer engineering student, spent 11 exhilarating weeks at the 2024 Paris Olympics as a venue engineering intern with NBCUniversal, working alongside electrical and audio engineers to ensure every broadcast—including opening ceremonies, competitions and medal ceremonies—went off without a hitch.
“It was 100% the internship of a lifetime. I was beyond lucky,” said Bernstein. “Although my work was just a drop in this massive system, working with NBC’s engineering department in Paris was so fascinating, and it was amazing to see how smoothly the entire operation ran.”
‘Countless’ engineers
Noah Bernstein and his engineering mentors from NBCUniversal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Billed as the, nearly 2,000 NBCUniversal production crews, operations and engineering teams worked together to provide 7,000 hours of coverage for the Paris Olympics. Viewership spanned broadcast, cable and streaming channels for a total of 3,200 live events across their television portfolio, which included NBC Sports, Peacock and USA Network.
“It’s easy to forget just how many incredible minds are behind these games. One may not immediately think about the engineers at the Olympics when you turn on the TV,” Bernstein said. “This experience has made me appreciate the countless engineers working behind every camera and broadcast.”
Stationed at the International Broadcast Center where NBC was located, Bernstein assisted engineers in the setup and testing of broadcast equipment to make sure electronic systems were fully operational for the international event.
His hands-on work included configuring and testing essential broadcast systems, building custom cables and managing inventory. Additionally, he contributed to the integration and testing of advanced fiber optic systems, signal converters and video routers, all while participating in daily training sessions led by industry experts that deepened his understanding of complex broadcast infrastructures.
One of his favorite parts of the internship was fine-tuning his soldering skills. He learned the process used to join metal components together in his applications of embedded systems class. He also worked on cable termination and assembling microphones.
“When I had to be on-call and deliver technical equipment to venues, I occasionally popped my head in to see the games happening,” said Bernstein.
Interning at the Olympics was a grind, but during his free time, he visited a few chateaus by train and explored the beautiful architecture of Paris. He also watched some athletics events, such as boxing and men’s gymnastics and walked to where Team USA was housed.
Bernstein even got to meet some women rugby players and gymnasts. One final perk to make this internship experience even more worth it was watching the Closing Ceremonies.
Olympic Spirit
While the Olympic Games celebrate the spirit of competition among the world’s greatest athletes, the collaborative effort to broadcast these events to billions had a magic of its own.
“A really special part of the experience was working with people from all over the world. NBC has people from different nationalities working for them,” said Bernstein.
“I got to meet people who worked on the Rio and Sochi games, so this truly was an international and special experience.”