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Name: Ademayowa Balogun

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: University of Iowa (summer 2013)

Major(s)/Minor(s): Biology

Expected Graduation Year: May 2014

Briefly describe your internship, co-op, research, or service-learning opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

This summer I conducted research in microbiology at the University of Iowa. It was my job to determine the localization of a receptor called TIM-1 that plays an important role in Ebola virus infection. Daily, my tasks included maintaining and developing cell lines of Chinese Hamster Ovary Cell tissue cultures, transducing them with virus, and monitoring levels of viral transduction via flow cytometry. I also ran many western blots and used confocal microscopy in order to gather more information about the localization of this receptor under various conditions.

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

I truly enjoyed the research that I conducted and the freedom that I had to try new things. In many instances, I was able to perform my own protocols or use my own ideas in order to further my research. This creative freedom honestly is what led to much of the success of my research this summer, as I had many ideas that ended up working. I think that stimulating the minds of interns is a huge asset to them later, as they can recall instances when problem solving and troubleshooting led to discovery.

What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another opportunity?

The resources that I had at the University of Iowa were great, which enhanced my research experience greatly. The student mentorship I received was also unique, as I was given free reign over many aspects of my project, while still receiving important instruction.

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

Be open to doing research. Everyone's experience is different, but if you are sensitive to things going on around you, you will always be able to draw something important out of the internship. Sometimes, you may find that the type of research you are doing is not your favorite, and that is good to know, too. Not every internship is a match made in heaven, but all experiences can teach you something if you are open enough to them.

How do you see your experience as meaningful? This might involve skills you’ve gained, information you’ve learned, mentors you’ve connected with, or projects you’ve completed.

Science research is one of the most difficult career choices, in my opinion, because 90% of the time things don't work as you plan, but I can honestly say that the 10% success outweighs the failure in the end. In the first 8 weeks of my internship, I gained a vast knowledge of my research and learned how to plan and conduct various types of experiments, only to see them fail, one by one. My graduate student and my PI encouraged me, and urged me to keep trying to get some data. They all left for a scientific conference for a week, leaving me to fend for myself in the lab, and with one last idea of an experiment. Suddenly, all of the experiments began to work, and I found myself knee-deep in more research to do and data to gain before they all returned. Although I spent upwards of 12 hours in the laboratory at times, I did not mind because I knew that things were progressing, and there was something to be discovered. In the last 2 weeks of my 10 week internship, I attained 80% of my final project data. The experimental skills and training that I received were great, but the most meaningful part of my experience came from failure, sustained perseverance and then success. I know that graduate school will be very difficult, much like my internship, but I am willing to push past the failures and setbacks because I know that there is purpose behind my actions, and that there will be something to learn if I keep trying.

Please provide a short quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / the internship placement process.

"Having an internship is an excellent way of developing purpose as an undergraduate, especially in preparing to enter the workforce or graduate school. The experience gives you a good, realistic perspective of potential career paths & is an invaluable experience! I really enjoyed this summer."

- Congratulations on graduating!

One of the things that makes UMBC great is how wonderful our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are. Because of these amazing people, UMBC often finds itself “in the news,” so each week, we’ll be sharing with you a round-up of the most newsworthy achievements from our community.

• UMBC’s Community Leaders Meeting and Construction Projects in The Baltimore Sun
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute Takes UMBC’s Meyerhoff Program On the Road<
• UMBC Students Win Boren Scholarship

Check out all the other great campus news on Insights Weekly.

Every so often, we’ll chat with an alum about what they do and how they got there. Today we’re talking with Benjamin Strong ’01, Emergency Health Services, ’04, M.S., Emergency Health Services, about his career with the United States Coast Guard.

Name: Benjamin Strong
Job Title: Director, Amver Maritime Relations
Employer: United States Coast Guard

Q: Tell us a little about how you wound up at UMBC. What’s your background?

A: I took the “long route” to UMBC. I enlisted in the Air Force after high school, completed my tour in 1991 and began working as a paramedic in Prince George’s County, Maryland. In the late 90’s I learned about the Emergency Health Services Management program at UMBC and came to take a tour. I ended up enrolling in 1998.

Q: Will you tell us about your career on the U.S. delegation to the Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response Working Group of the Arctic Council?

A: My work on the Arctic Council Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response Working group is an extra duty to my day job with the United States Coast Guard. My specialty is encouraging commercial ships to assist the Coast Guard in search and rescue cases around the world. In fact, it was one of our partnered ships that was first to begin searching for the missing Malaysian plane in the South Indian Ocean.

My job with the EPPR working group is to encourage commercial ships to assist in search and rescue in the Arctic. There are a finite number of rescue resources in the Arctic and we have to rely on our partners to help in times of trouble. I also work to encourage our Arctic national partners to request Amver information when they are managing a search and rescue case. It’s all about leveraging partnerships in the name of safety.

Q: Were there any lessons you learned, in particular, at UMBC that you have carried with you into your work?

A: I would have to say the main lesson I learned was leveraging partnerships. The Emergency Health Services department was unique in that we had several important partnerships both on and off campus. As a student I had to partner with the Political Science department to marry up my Certificate in Public Administration and Policy with my EHS bachelors. I had to partner with the EHS department alumni to secure a relevant internship. Partnerships remain critical to my international work today.

Q:  What has been the greatest success in your career? The greatest challenge?

A: The greatest success and the greatest challenge of my are really one event. I was finishing my undergraduate work in 2001, fulfilling a requirement for an internship with the Federal Emergency Management Agency when the September 11 attacks occurred. I deployed to New York City to assist in both rescue efforts and the administrative response as part of an Urban Search and Rescue Incident Support Team Member. Despite the tragic losses I’m proud I was able to both serve my nation during the response and meet the obligations to graduate in December of 2001. I have to thank my advisors and professors in the EHS department as well, without their flexibility I never would have been able to balance my work during the response with my responsibility to UMBC.

Q: Is there a particular class or professor at UMBC who really inspired you?

A: Yes! Bill Hathaway was an EHS professor. He was a character; an Army veteran. He was the professor that convinced me I could attend college as an adult student and succeed. He gave me a tour of the campus and walked me down to admissions to ensure I had all the application materials. He was remarkable.

Q: What advice would you give to students considering UMBC?

A: UMBC is the perfect balance between a large school and a more intimate campus. UMBC has great services on campus but is located perfectly between Baltimore and Washington, DC. Get into the community! The UMBC area offers opportunities for incredible internships, and a quality internship is key to making you stand out when applying for a job or looking for graduate opportunities.

Have a story of your own to share? Tell us about it.

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