This is the time to find a summer internship

The holiday break is the perfect time to identify and apply for summer research internships.  Application deadlines will begin in February and stretch through the Spring, but now is a great time to line up faculty letters of support (you usually need two of them) and the time off during break can be used to put together your applications.

Biology graduates Caitlin Duncan and
Emily Lundquist at Stone Labs on Lake
Erie in the summer of 2014

Summer research internships are competitive, but our students have a great track record of taking part in these great opportunities.  Use the Summer Research Internship tag on this blog to see examples of where our students have gone in the past.  It is best to apply to multiple opportunities to increase your chance of getting one.  Most University-based research internships last 10-weeks and cover travel costs, room and board and pay a stipend.  Science-related internships with companies also usually pay a salary.

So how do you find internship opportunities to apply to?  University-based internships are usually funded by the National Science Foundation and can be searched on this site.  This site from Texas A&M University is excellent for searching wildlife and fisheries related internships.  We also post opportunities on this Blog, as well as on our Facebook page and Twitter feed using #auinternships.  All of our social media is auto-posted to Twitter, so that is the best single location to find all opportunities we post.

Be sure to ask your academic advisor if you have questions about the internship search process and good luck!

Ashland Biology Major Spends Summer as a Dolphin Care Intern

Senior Biology major Cortney Kourie had the unique opportunity to spend this past summer in Key

Largo, Florida taking care of and training Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.  Cortney's experience as a researcher at Ashland University with faculty mentor Dr. Dolly Crawford helped her secure this opportunity, along with her strong application materials.  We will let her describe her amazing summer:

This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to be an animal care and training intern at Dolphins Plus Oceanside in Key Largo, Florida. As an intern, my responsibilities were to assist in animal husbandry of the 14 Atlantic bottlenose dolphins at my facility as well as 2 California sea lions for a couple of days at Dolphins Plus Bayside, Oceanside’s sister facility. In my day-to-day routine, I was in charge of preparing hydrations, nebulizer treatments, vitamins, and husbandry coolers. In addition to preparing all of these husbandry items, I also was in charge of knowing when they needed to occur during different sessions and making sure everything was ready and on the docks. I also assisted in the 3-5 sessions per day on the docks with the animals, which consisted of both swim sessions with the public and husbandry sessions. Additionally, there was a lot of scrubbing of buckets, fridges, and any other item we used in our daily care routine as there is in any animal care position. As for my interest in research, I was also able to assist in data collection by recording respiration rates and blowhole durations daily. My favorite part of the internship, however, was the privilege of finally getting to be a b-point, a secondary trainer who keeps an uncooperative dolphin occupied so that another trainer can finish a husbandry or swim session with a different dolphin. The internship was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun. I was surrounded by amazing people including the trainers and the other interns, some of whom I lived with. This internship has taught me better time management and organization, and I have grown a greater respect for and understanding of the animal care field. I have definitely decided on my career path, and I hope to work with dolphins and many other animals in my future.

Ashland Biology major interns with physicians in Florida

Junior Biology major Justin Dowell plans to attend medical school after graduation from Ashland
University to become a surgeon.  He spent this summer in Jupiter, Florida taking part in an internship at the Jupiter Medical Center that allowed him to shadow a number of doctors.  Justin writes about his experience below.  In addition to being an active member of our American Student Medical Association, Justin is supported by Ashland's state-funded Choose Ohio First Scholarship program.

I had the opportunity to shadow multiple physicians at the Jupiter Medical Center in Jupiter, Florida, this summer. For this internship, I had to contact doctors from a given list of different specialties I found interesting. I shadowed a neurologist, pulmonologist, plastic surgeon, orthopedic surgeon, and multiple invasive radiologists as well as an infectious disease specialist. For the neurologist, pulmonologist, and infectious disease doctor, I was primarily in the office seeing patients. Although, I did observe a few bronchoscopies while I was shadowing the pulmonologist. I initially thought a radiologist only read X-rays, but I was proven wrong. I had the chance to watch two spinal surgeries performed by radiologists. These were noninvasive but none the less surgeries. As for the orthopedic surgeon, I observed a couple rotator cuff surgeries. Again, these were not very invasive. I did, however, see an elbow repair where the elbow was fully exposed. Lastly, the plastic surgeon performed multiple breast surgeries, a tummy tuck, and a few smaller surgeries. These were the more invasive surgeries of the summer. I found each of the specialties interesting and informative, but I also found out that I won’t be happy unless I’m in the operating room.

Ashland professor and alumni take part in outdoor education workshop

Professor Tawse in the field with
workshop participants

Project WILD is a national environmental education organization that trains educators and teaches the public about wildlife and the environment.  AU Biology alumna Amanda Kriner recently facilitated a Project WILD workshop on insects with Jamey Emmert from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.  Amanda is a graduate of our Environmental Science Program and the volunteer coordinator for the Richland County Park District, which manages the Gorman Nature Center in Mansfield, Ohio.

Biology professor Merrill Tawse, who teaches the Entomology course at Ashland University, led the training at the workshop.  Attendees included another Environmental Science alumna, Karie Wheaton (Charlton) '11, who works as a Naturalist for the Geauga County Park District.

AU Environmental Science graduates
Amanda Kriner and Karie Wheaton

Ashland Biology faculty and students conduct summer research

Ashland University’s Dr. Mason Posner, professor and chairperson of the Department of Biology and
Toxicology, recently received a $305,000 research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue his research program using the small zebrafish to investigate the causes and prevention of lens cataract.  According to Posner, this three-year research grant from the NIH's Academic Research Enhancement Program is intended to expose students to research, strengthen the University's research environment and support meritorious research.

Two students have been working in Dr. Posner's lab this summer.  Rising senior and Choose Ohio First Scholar Kelly Murray says that "the opportunity to participate in lab has been a valuable experience, providing me with practical laboratory skills and a better understanding of the scientific process. The work has has helped me to develop my skills as an aspiring scientist and has informed my decision to apply for graduate programs this fall."  The photo below shows Kelly examining zebrafish embryos using the Department's inverted fluorescent microscope.

Rising Senior Hayden Eighinger plans to attend medical school and says "I have applied learned concepts from basic biology classes to higher level genetics courses, doing much to unite my understanding of concepts gained in different classes. This experience is important because it has reinforced my understanding of biological concepts crucial to success not only as an aspiring doctor, but also as a student of biology".

The other big change in lab this summer was the installation of a new zebrafish aquarium system, funded by the new research grant.  Dr. Posner and his students will be filling the system with genetically modified zebrafish in the months to come.

The grant is a renewal of work that Posner has conducted with NIH funding since 2001 that uses the zebrafish as a model organism to understand how proteins, called alpha crystallins, help maintain the transparency of the lens of the eye. You can read more about this research on Dr. Posner's website.
 

Ashland microbiology professor teaches this summer in Taiwan

Paul Hyman, Associate Professor of Biology, is spending five weeks this summer teaching in Taiwan as part of the ONPS Summer School, an independent Chinese education program. ONPS provides Chinese students studying at American universities during Fall and Spring with summer school classes while they are home. He is teaching an Introductory Biology course (in English) in Taipei, Taiwan to students from schools ranging from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to the University of San Francisco. There is a student from the Ohio State University and even one high school student from Taipei.

His adventures began even before arriving as a class five typhoon caused his first flight to be cancelled and the rescheduled flight diverted to Okinawa, Japan for a day. But since arriving in Taipei he has completed his first week teaching and exploring the city. He writes “Taipei is a fascinating mix of familiar city sights and a totally different approach to life. Because food is plentiful and inexpensive, many people prefer to eat out for most or all meals. Supporting this are a vast number of small restaurants, food stalls and night markets – streets blocked off each day to set up food and store booths that are then taken down at the end of the day. One of the teaching assistants tells me that some apartments do not even have kitchens.“

“People are friendly and very forgiving of someone who can barely manage a poorly pronounced “hello” and “thank you” in Chinese. Some people speak English, at least a few more words than I speak Chinese. We manage to get by pointing to pictures, gestures and smiles. And numbers are universal. The streets are as full of scooters as of cars. Perhaps because of the many scooters, I haven’t seen many bicycles although there are usually a couple each day. Besides the many food shops are small hardware stores, mini-marts, beauty salons, mechanics (especially for the scooters), all along the same street in no particular order. Many of them appear to be family businesses. “

Dr. Hyman will be teaching through the second week of August and then it is back to Ohio with just a few weeks before classes start at AU. Just enough time to readjust to a 12 hour time change.

Ashland Biology in Costa Rica

Boat trip for snorkeling on the Pacific coast

Ashland University has hosted a foreign languages summer program in Costa Rica for many years.  But this summer was the first time that we have offered a natural science course as part of the AU in Costa Rica program.

Students in Biology Professor Merrill Tawse's BIO 202: Organisms, Adaptation, and Diversity course spent this summer at the biologically rich campus setting of Conversa Language Center, a Spanish language school situated in a lush mountain setting overlooking the Santa Ana Valley.  Students did weekend field work in the tropical cloud forest of Monteverde and the marine park in Manuel Antonio while learning Spanish.  For additional cultural experiences, students live with families and participate in excursions.

Professor Tawse reports that

This is the first time that the Ashland University Biology/Toxicology Department has led

Hiking in the rain forest with Professor Tawse

students into this part of the world where they were surrounded by some of Earth's most biologically diverse ecosystems. Students were in awe as they observed first-hand the richness of plant and animal species surrounding them as they were snorkeling in coral reefs, hiking through mountain cloud forests, and when comparing upland and lowland tropical forests of Costa Rica. Student lab experiences included measuring and comparing the biological diversity in select habitats, night hikes, mist netting of birds and bats, encountering lizards and snakes along the park and preserve trails and visiting a local animal refuge center. For many, being able to watch a sea turtle foraging in a coastal reef, discovering Howler and White-faced Monkeys moving through the canopy above them, and observing sloths sleeping in the trees will become some of the lifetime memories of their Ashland University experience.

Here are some more pictures from this summer's trip:

Snorkeling with sea turtles

Setting up a mist net to collect birds

A rufous capped warbler

Ashland Biology lab sends student researchers to zoology internships across the country

Students Cortney Kourie (left) and
Samantha Carson (right) with faculty
research mentor Dr. Dolly Crawford

Four undergraduate research students working this past year with Dr. Dolly Crawford on laboratory and field research projects are off on a number of exciting summer internships.  We already reported on this blog about Ethan Patterson's internship at the Alaska Sealife Center.  Another student, Cortney Kourie, is currently in Key Largo, Florida working as an intern at Dolphins Plus, a marine mammal conservation and public education institute.  Samantha Carson is involved in public education and animal care at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, and recent graduate Bethany Linert is interning at the Gorman Nature Center in Mansfield Ohio, where another AU science graduate, Amanda Kriner, works as the Director of Volunteer Resources.

We plan to follow up with some pictures and descriptions from these students about their experiences later this summer.

Toxicology alumna earns Ph.D

Alumna Daphne Guinn (Toxicology, 2011) was awarded a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Ohio State University earlier this month.  Her Ph.D. dissertation research was focused on chronic lymphocytic leukemia.  She was specifically concerned with how alterations in Bruton’s tyrosine kinase affect the transcriptional profile and phenotype of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells.  She has contributed to three publications thus far based on her research.  Following graduation, Daphne has been offered a postdoctoral fellowship at Georgetown University as a PRSM-PhRMA Fellow in Regulatory Science.  Daphne hopes to pursue a career in the clinical regulatory field in the pharmaceutical industry or government.

Ashland Biology major heading to Alaska for wildlife internship

Rising senior Ethan Patterson will be spending his summer in Seward, Alaska caring for and educating the public about animals at the Alaska Sealife Center.  Ethan previously worked as an intern at the Ohio Bird Sanctuary, and says about his upcoming experience:

I will be working at the Alaska Sealife Center in Seward, Alaska as the Interpretive Avian Husbandry Fellow. My duties will include interacting with the public while giving tours, both general and behind the scenes, as well as giving educational talks on the resident animals at the center. I will also be working directly with the avian collection at the center, feeding and general care. Some of the more interesting species that I'll be working with include horned and tufted puffins, spectacled and Steller's eider ducks, red-legged kittwakes rhinoceros auklets, and black oystercatchers. I'm fairly certain that I will also have opportunities to interact with the marine mammal and aquarium collections on site and participate in the wildlife response and rehabilitation aspect at some point as well.

R&D Internship at Sherwin-Williams: Applications Due March 4th

Ashland University science majors who have completed at least two semesters of Organic Chemistry should check out this summer internship opportunity at Sherwin-Williams.

·    An R&D Internship at Sherwin-Williams is a hands-on learning experience that will challenge and push Interns to perform at a high level.

·    The Sherwin-Williams Intern program is a comprehensive 12-week learning experience located at the Warrensville Technology Center or Valley View R&D Laboratory. 

·    Interns will be assigned to a specific lab, a Mentor, and a Technical Project.

·    Interns will be active participants on a project team and will have periodic reviews to evaluate their performance.

·    Near the conclusion of their assignment, Interns will develop a Technical Poster on their project highlighting their accomplishments.

·    Interns will participate in a number of special networking and learning events throughout their assignment.

·    This opportunity will allow Interns to gain experience in work groups, as well as working with other Interns.

Resumes and cover letters should be sent to Wendy Hall, Employer Relations Coordinator, at the AU Career Services Center by Friday, March 4th.  Contact Career Services or a Chemistry faculty member for more information. 

Summer Research Programs in the Health Sciences

Students interested in the medical field should consider opportunities for summer internships.  Examples of summer research programs are listed below.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center offers undergraduates the chance to explore clinical and basic science research in laboratories in the Department of Pediatrics.  In addition to hands-on laboratory experience, students participate in various academic and social activities.  The SURF Program includes two scientific writing classes, an ethics in research seminar, an introduction to bioinformatics and a career day.

Application Deadline February 1st.  

The Chester Summer Scholars Program awards 15 collegiate undergraduate students the opportunity to spend ten weeks over the summer in clinical laboratory research settings at MetroHealth Medical Center.  The Program is an opportunity for pre-medicine and scientifically-oriented students to explore the potential for a career in medical research or academic medicine.  Application Deadline February 12th.  

Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University:  Summer Scholars participants have been preparing for the challenges and rewards of medical school. Twenty-two applicants are selected each year to participate in this rigorous five-week program designed to give you an intensive and realistic introduction to the first-year curriculum at OU-HCOM.  Application Deadline March 1st.  

The Center for Colon Cancer Research (CCCR) at the University of South Carolina is leading the development of groundbreaking research in colorectal cancer. One of the primary goals of the CCCR Minority Research Program is to foster the progression of young scientists, and they are seeking undergraduate students to participate in research internships in a cancer-related field (e.g., biological sciences, pharmacy, public health).  Application Deadline February 15th.  

International Summer Research for Undergraduates--Applications Due Jan 25

Check out the ACS International Research Experiences for Undergraduates (IREU)

"Students spend 10-12 weeks working on frontier chemical and materials science research projects under the guidance of faculty members and graduate student mentors to sharpen scientific skills, develop collaborations with scientists abroad, and experience the life and culture of a foreign country.  For the summer of 2016, up to 17 students from the United States will be selected to conduct research in Germany, Italy, Singapore, or the United Kingdom through the program."

Internship Opportunities in Forensic Science

Danielle (Wood) Chronister received her undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Ashland University in 2010.  She enjoys working in the area of forensic drug chemistry at the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office.  Current students with an interest in forensics are encouraged to consider the CCMEO Internships.  According to Danielle, "While this would be an unpaid internship, the experience here has gotten many interns jobs either here or at other forensic labs."  Information for the internships can be found here.

It's science internship application season

The start of the New Year means that summer science research internship applications will be due soon.  We have a number of students each summer taking part in paid research internships.  How do you find these opportunities?  A great way to start is by searching this blog for stories of students' internship experiences from past summers, or past postings for research opportunities.  Just check out the Summer Research Internship topic in the right sidebar of this blog.  You can also check out this Start Here post from the past.

One opportunity we have heard about is an internship in Biomedical Sciences at Marshall University.  This one pays $3000 for the 2-month program and applications are due Februrary 12th.

We have had two students in the past take part in this program at UNC Chapel Hill.  Applications are reviewed starting February 2nd.

If you are interested in ecology and environmental science check out this program at the University of Virginia's Mountain Lake research center, or these opportunities in our own back yard on Lake Erie at the Ohio State University's Stone Labs.

One of the keys to getting a paid summer research internship is to apply to multiple positions.  There is lots of competition for these positions, but our students have been very successful in getting them.  Feel free to ask your faculty advisor for help with the personal statement these applications require.  Research experience with an AU faculty member is also very helpful, so if you have not approached one of our faculty about research opportunities it would be a good idea to do so.