An Unusual, but Interesting Internship on the Front Lines.

What I hope to learn from my internship at the Blairstown Ambulance Corps are things that I could not physically be able to experience otherwise. Not only do I intend to learn and practice the highest quality medical care that I can, I intend to use this time to develop well-rounded skills that may not be directly related to patient care. For instance, I will be using organizational skills to juggle dozens of charts, working with a team of people I may or may not know in a large-scale incident, and improving on leadership skills.

The skills and experiences I gain from my unpaid internship develop me to be a more professional and well-rounded healthcare provider and team member. As I follow my dream to become a physician, my time spent as an EMT further entrenches my belief that this is absolutely what I want to do for the rest of my life. Whether it is the general sense of ‘family’ amongst the squad, or the rush of a lifesaving call, there is no other place that I would rather be to support me in my career choice.

Tommy Baran
Neuroscience

Social Distancing Increases the Need for Digital Marketing!

This summer I will be an intern with White Birch Media Group LLC., specifically working on the “It Is A Keeper” blog. I am excited for this endeavor because it combines my personal and professional interests! I have the incredible opportunity to bring together Digital Marketing and Graphic Design. As an artist that is on my way to becoming a professional Marketer, I am thrilled to learn firsthand, some of the challenging aspects of Marketing that won’t necessarily be taught in the classroom. The most important skill a Marketer could possess in this Digital era, is SEO or Search Engine Optimization. This is when you learn the unique and quickly changing algorithms of platforms like Google to then work around them in a way that will make your brand and content get as much online traffic as possible. Another skill that I will be able to build upon is Email Marketing. “It Is A Keeper” is a popular blog with over two million yearly viewers! With an audience this big, I will learn the ins and outs of writing engaging Emails that will drive viewers to new and exciting blog posts. I am extremely thankful and grateful that I will still be able to learn and grow with this virtual opportunity amidst the pandemic.

Kaitlyn Bentley
Marketing

Remote Research During the Pandemic

My name is Jithin V. George and I am a rising senior Neuroscience and Biomathematics double major at the University! This summer I will continue research with the Orr lab via the Royal Experience Summer Internship Program.

This summer, I have two main projects. The first project is to complete analysis of data that I collected before the semester ended. I have to watch and score 306 videos for 5 different behaviors. Once I complete this step, I will be able to analyze data and ascertain whether a short-term exposure to high-fat diets in mice interferes with visuospatial memory! I will run statistical analyses on the data I collect, compile my findings so far, and submit an abstract for the 2020 SfN Neuroscience conference. Presenting research at conferences is an integral part of my application to MD-PhD programs and so, this is an essential experience for my future!

Once I complete the above project, I will investigate the different social compliance techniques used in political campaign ads before and after the introduction of C-SPAN. This project combines two of my favorite subjects: social psychology and data science. I am super excited about this project because it is my first foray into social psychology! When I eventually manage my own lab, I hope to engage in both behavioral neuroscience and social psychology research. Hence, this preliminary exposure is extremely important in laying the foundation for my future career!

Fig 1. Snapshot of typical video analysis process.

Jithin V. George
Neuroscience, Biomathematics

An Introduction to Biomedical Research

This summer I have the privilege of working at Upstate Medical University in Dr. Jeffery Amack’s lab in the Cell and Developmental Biology department. The lab utilizes zebrafish embryos to study the cell biology, genetics, and biophysics of developmental processes that may have problems during embryogenesis and lead to birth defects. Specifically, I am working closely with Peu Santra, a PhD student, to examine mutations that may impact the development of hair cells that cause sensorineural deafness.

After graduation, I plan to attend medical school. Although I am passionate about becoming a physician, I am unsure how involved in research I want to be. Over the course of my experience in the lab, I hope to be able to determine to what degree I want research to be a part of my career and figure out my research interests. Additionally, I am excited to gain more hands- on experience with various laboratory techniques and protocols, especially at an academic medical institution. Since my start date was delayed due to COVID-19, I have only spent one week in the lab so far. In this short time, however, I have already learned a lot about the theory behind research I am conducting and gained a myriad of wet lab skills. I am looking forward to seeing what the rest of the summer holds!

Ellyn Prusinowski
Philosophy, Biochem Cell Molecular Biology

How working with the Women and Family Ascending Association is Informing My Post-Graduation Path.

Through this internship I hope to put the critical skills I have been developing since my first year in the Counseling and Human Services program to use. I hope to practice being compassionate and empathetic when interacting with clients. A big part of my internship role is contributing to the grant writing team; my hope is to walk away from this internship understanding much more about the grant application process, and the basic requirements a non-profit needs to meet to apply for a grant. Finally, I hope to learn more about the chain of command and communication procedures in a non-profit that relies on volunteers for many of its services. I believe that this internship will inform my future career decisions because I will have knowledge about what working for a non-profit is like and will know whether doing so professionally is something I would enjoy. I will also have experience working with a specific population, women and children impacted by domestic violence. This internship will show me whether I have the emotional stamina to work with individuals in such difficult situations. I suspect that interning with the Women and Family Ascending Association will strengthen my passion for the line of work I am pursuing, help me learn the role of human service professionals in a real world context and will provide me with insight into where I could see myself working after graduation.

Carly Dugan
Counseling and Human Services

The Start of Something New

I never knew what I wanted to do with my life and where to direct my attention and passion. Within the past two years, I have slowly developed an interest in business and marketing in particular. Since starting my journey into the business world, I recognized that in order to be profound in my field, I need to become more versed in all areas. Prior to this internship I gained experience in social media, communication, and sales. Still looking to broaden my skillset, I wanted to learn more about search engine optimization, analytics, and editorial content. From my interviews, I was able to prove my writing capabilities and from there, was selected to edit Jafri Capital’s blog section of their webpage. So far, I have been working with the team to compile information regarding certain real estate investing topics. I hope to learn more about the details of Microsoft Word for structuring and creating different tables and diagrams for a professional setting. I also hope to learn from the other intern’s responsibilities. We have interns working on the social media platforms as well as an intern evaluating the data analytics of the platforms which I hope to gain insight from. I have developed a schedule with the team and communicate daily through Microsoft Teams which is a very useful tool when working with a company and staying on top of deadlines, meetings, and proper communication. This internship has and will continue to teach me valuable skills and introduce me to new tools that will be advantageous to my future.

Brianna Murawski
Marketing