The Experience that is shaping the rest of my life
By Hannah Hoag
E
very
spring millions of university students look for summer work. Some
work
in
retail,
others in
the service industry, but those curious about science careers can
find themselves redesigning mirrors for the Hubble Space Telescope,
developing drugs or testing components of a particle accelerator.
Internships exist in all sectors, from academic
and
research
institutions
to government laboratories to industry campuses.
A
summer internship is a great way to get experience in a variety of
settings. Students make
valuable contacts,
learn about lab
culture
or a
lternative
careers,
and may even get published. Moreover, undergraduates get a chance to
try out academia or industry before taking
the leap to graduate school.
U
ndergraduates
often use the chance to
explore research.
Most research
vacancies
are
found in academia or at centres such as the Harvard Stem Cell
Institute or the Department of Energy's Fermilab in Batavia,
Illinois. These programmes are
mostly intended for
undergraduates in their third and fourth years. "It tells them
whether
or not they are interested in doing research in astronomy or
astrophysics, or whether they are interested in research at all,"
says the director of the summer internship programme at the
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Students there may spend their summer analysing data
from X-ray satellites or looking for gas emissions from galactic
clusters.
At NASA, summer students can participate in lab work at different research centres across the country. "One of NASA's missions is to inspire the next generation of explorers," says Dave Rosage, director of the NASA Academy and the NASA Robotics Academy at Goddard Space Flight Center, near Washington DC. Undergraduates in the summer research programme have a chance to conduct high-risk cutting-edge research.
Interns work on research problems three days a week, with Thursdays and Fridays set aside for lectures, group project work and field trips to other NASA centres.
A
bbott
Laboratories in Illinois also brings graduates and undergraduates to
its campus each summer to identify talented individuals, with the
intention of hiring them as full-time employees. “Students leave
with meaningful and transferable
work experience”,
says Christi Lehner, director of college relations.
In addition to research experience, summer internships are full of perks, which students may want to consider when choosing a programme. Lunch-and-learn sessions offer students a chance to interact with principle investigators, programme directors or vice-presidents.
"You can navigate your way through the organization once you have got through the door as an intern," says Lehner. "It opens up future positions throughout the company."
Most internships provide a window into research culture. At the end of the summer, the majority of students must present the fruits of their labours. It might be a poster for staff and parents or a presentation for board members.
S
tudents
often find themselves as co-authors on journal articles. Besides,
choosing a supervisor for the final-year thesis is significantly
easier when they can go into a meeting and talk about their summer
research, list
the techniques
that they know and give a presentation.
An internship may provide a chance to try out an alternative career. At Jackson Laboratory, science students with an interest in writing can join the lab's public-relations staff for the summer. “They enjoy communicating and translating science to the general population," says Geiger. All in all, the experience and relationships gained from an internship can bring young scientists closer to achieving their dream jobs.
(Adapted from the http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2006/060126/full/nj7075-504a.html)
Comprehension check
Work with a partner. Look back in the text. Find the expressions in bold and work out their meaning from the context. Use a dictionary if necessary.
Match the verbs in A with their complements in B. Translate the phrases into your native language.
-
A
B
make
a window into research culture
try out
research problems
sign
students a chance
analyze
the fruits of their labours
inspire
valuable contacts
w
ork
ona presentation
offer
the contract
provide
data
present
academia or industry
give
the next generation of explorers
Discuss
What are the benefits of internship?
What kind of opportunities does it provide?
Do you agree that internship is equally important to all university students?
Are there any internship programmes available for students in your country?
If not, do you think they would be popular with science students in this country? Why?/Why not?
Focus on language
Read the sentence from the text. Note how the structure of the sentence changes when it is reported.
“Students leave with meaningful and transferable work experience”, says Christi Lehner, director of college relations.
Christi Lehner, director of college relations said/agreed that students left with meaningful and transferable work experience.
Reported Speech Reported speech is used to express what others have said. It is also used when you are writing a paper at college level. In this case, it involves paraphrasing and summarizing what different authors have said. e.g.: Professor Jenkins said: “You have to submit your course work on Friday.” Professor Jenkins said (that) we had to submit our course work on Friday.
e.g.: “You are absolutely right!” – He told me (that) I was absolutely right. “I saw Professor Jenkins yesterday.” – She said (that) she had seen Professor Jenkins the day before yesterday. “Students have broken a lot of glassware today!” – The lab assistant complained that students had broken a lot of glassware that day.
e.g. “Look, I can’t go to the party tonight” – She refused to go to the party. “Hello everybody, nice to see you.” – He greeted everybody. “Now let’s see how we can solve this equation.” – He explained (how to solve) the equation. |