Name:  Lauren Forsyth 

Internship, Co-op, or Research Site: Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology 

Position Title: Laboratory Assistant Intern 

Major or Program: Biological Sciences (BS) 

Current Class Level: Sophomore

Work Term: 

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities. 

• Gather/measure biomass data using spectrometer, dry oven, centrifuge, Pipetting, and cell plate techniques

• Assist/observe lab partners in analyzing algal species genetics through PCR and gel electrophoresis to identify species for ongoing experiments

• Maintain orderly organization by collaborating with lab partners and sterilizing equipment by using an autoclave

• Attend weekly lab meetings; present research results pertaining to microalgae to lab partners

• Prepared BG-11 media using chemical formulas and recipes to create new algae cultures

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

Initially, I came across the career center website and noticed that the career counselors offered meetings to help build resumes and search for internships. I had my first meeting with Ms. Hindle last fall, and I told her about my interests in environmental research and marine biology. She contacted the director of IMET, a biotech company specializing in research regarding aquatic health, especially in the Chesapeake Bay. I then scheduled a tour around IMET with the director Dr. Hill, and I sent out my resume with a research paper to the faculty at IMET for a summer internship position. Dr. Chen emailed me about an interview after reading my research paper about how algae can reduce carbon dioxide levels in the oceans, which was terrific since his lab specializes in algal research. Dr. Chen hired me, and I worked with Lauren Wagner, who ran research experiments where she grew algae culture under various light intensities and carbon dioxide levels. And her experiments will help create algae that can be used to reduce flue gas emissions from water treatment plants. 

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?  

I loved working as a team with my co-lab partners, who became excellent friends of mine. I learned so much from them as a person without lab experience besides experiments in high school. Lauren, with whom I worked the most, taught me all the basic skills I needed to know at the lab, from simple pipet techniques to measuring biomass by placing samples in a dry oven. Not to mention, I learned the fundamentals behind PCR and gel from my lab partners, Jeffery and Peter, and I got to see their research, such as Jeffery's work on microbiomes in the bay in the winter versus the summer. And Dr. Chen gave amazingly detailed feedback during lab meetings that were super helpful when in the future with experiments. But most importantly, I had so many laughs and good times in between labs with my lab partners, like when we went to a French restaurant in the city! Lastly, we would always come down to celebrate people getting their doctorate degrees and celebrate by talking and eating fantastic food.  

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

My lab partner Lauren sent me the sweetest text when I told her when my last day would be. And she said that I was a ray of sunshine at the lab, and honestly, that was one of the best compliments I've received. I think that I made lab work much easier since I always asked if anyone at the lab needed help with anything, and I always got the work done on time. Not to mention, I had a lot of laughs with my lab partners, so I think we all had a great time working together.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience? 

Utilize the resources at UMBC, meaning using Handshake to schedule career appointments, and meet with your career counselor once a semester at least a couple of times in the summer. Also, develop a good relationship with your career counselor, and explain in detail what you want to do since they can help you find jobs that will suit you the best with the connections they have!

Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / working with the Career Center.

I loved working with my lab mates who soon became my close friends.

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Name:  Iverson Scarlett

Internship, Co-op, or Research Site: The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

Position Title: Data Analyst Intern

Major or Program: Information Systems

Current Class Level: Junior

Work Term: Summer 2022

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

This summer I was a Data Analysis Intern for a project called COVIDOPS. This project consisted of a team that specialized in analytic activities such as data collection, data integration, modeling, forecasting, prioritization, visualization and report generation, in order to provide analytic support to decision-makers, informing critical public health decisions. During my time on the project I worked on issues focused on infrastructure, data processing and product updates within the projects repository. Some of my work produced visual data that is delivered to numerous government agencies. 

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

I initially heard about this position through my iS advisor. I received an email during my fall 2022 semester about a trailblazing opportunity for undergraduate students that didn't require prior experience. Providing students with an opportunity to participate in cutting-edge research while building skills to make significant contributions to science. I applied the same day I got the email and submitted my application through their website.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?

I met many people who had immense amounts of knowledge and information to share about APL’s culture and diversity. I learned so much about the projects and research that is conducted there everyday. I had the chance to create connections with other undergraduate students with similar career paths, as well as meeting APL staff that gave me insight about the different career pathways I could explore from APLs different Sectors and branches.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

I have always wanted to work on something meaningful, and impactful. The project I worked on over the summer allowed me to learn more about the depth of our current pandemic. I was able to contribute to different elements of the databases and infrastructure within my team. The information I was able to input and output from issues that I worked on contributed to the Covid 19 response effort. I felt glad that the work I was doing was making an impact on public health across the United States

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience? 

Making connections is important. My first Semester at UMBC I tried my best to network with other students and UMBC staff that had ties to my major. Attending multiple career and internship fairs, workshops and networking events. Always checking emails from my IS advisers about internship and co-op opportunities helped as well.

Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / working with the Career Center.

I enjoyed getting to work with like-minded people who were passionate about what they do in areas of Data science, infrastructure, Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning. As well as getting to have a amazing educational experience outside the classroom

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Opportunity for Freshmen & Sophomores

Apply for the 2023 Uber Career Prep cohort!

Applications are live and are due on Monday, November 28, 2022.

• Information about Uber Career Prep: t.uber.com/uber-career-prep
• Application link: t.uber.com/2023-Apply-UCP

Uber Career Prep  is a 7-month program that prepares college computer science and engineering students to excel in the interview and application process; it lays the groundwork for them to be successful onsite once they receive internship offers and beyond. Fellows attend 5 workshops and are given light homework assignments focused on enhancing their technical and soft skills. They’ll receive 1x1 mentorship by an Uber software engineer for the duration of the program and will complete 4 mock interviews with live feedback. In the 2022 cohort, over 50% of Fellows received offers to become a software engineering intern at Uber for next summer!

Candidates must have a target graduation date of 2025 or 2026. They must demonstrate a commitment to the program’s mission to increase diversity in tech. This year we had 52 Fellows from across the globe representing 19 different countries and 41 schools. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to careerprep@uber.com. 

Name:  Sophia Blackwell

Internship, Co-op, or Research Site:

Position Title: Project Assistant 

Major or Program: Media and Communications

Current Class Level: Senior

Work Term: Summer 2022 

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities. 

During my internship at OIG, I summarized the investigations public synopsis, arranged and designed the 20-page report that was published on their website and got the opportunity to network with some fantastic people on the team. I also got to see how fraud and finical waste is assessed in the city of Baltimore. 

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

Using LinkedIn, I had alerts setup for various positions of interest. I regularly visited the career websites or sections of specific organizations and sought referrals where possible. I applied for the position within a few days of learning about it in October 2021.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?  

The opportunity to contribute daily to meaningful work that facilitates meeting customer needs and securing their information.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

My work directly contributed to a more responsive security program for the organization.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience? 

"Start early, prioritize organizations that meet your long-term aspirations, build relevant skills, network and be persistent. Have the Career Center team review your resume."

Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / working with the Career Center.

Finding out how the investigations of Baltimore cities financial waste and fraud were handled was the most interesting part of it all for me. 

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Want to be the next Intern of the Week? Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Monday!