Molecular Biology Internships: A Comprehensive Guide

Molecular biology internships provide invaluable real-world field experiences, bridging the gap between academic knowledge and practical application. These internships are strongly recommended for all students, particularly those in the Wildlife and Conservation track and Marine, Freshwater, and Environmental Biology track, where they are often a requirement. This article provides a comprehensive guide to molecular biology internships, covering where to find them, how to get credit, and what to expect.

Finding Internship Opportunities

Several avenues exist for students seeking molecular biology internships:

University Career Services: Career Services often hosts career and internship fairs every semester, providing a good opportunity to network with employers and find internships based on areas of interest.
Online Platforms: Platforms like Handshake offer listings for internships, jobs, and volunteer opportunities. This system is often free for university students.
Faculty Connections: Professors in departmental courses may be prominent research scientists with labs. Students are strongly encouraged to become a part of faculty research and to develop projects with faculty.
Departmental Resources: Contacting departmental internship coordinators can provide specific guidance and access to internship forms.
Networking: Talk to former undergraduate students involved in research and internships to gain insights and potential leads.
University Research Fairs: Attending the Department of Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Fair and university poster sessions can expose you to current research and potential mentors.
External Programs: Many universities and organizations offer summer research programs and internships for undergraduate students, potentially including a stipend, housing, and transportation.

Gaining Academic Credit for Internships

Many institutions offer academic credit for internships, formally recognizing the educational value of these experiences. For instance, BIOS 4910 is a course designed to encourage students to obtain career-related work experience prior to completing their degree. Most students conduct their internships during the summer and take the internship course in the fall.

Requirements for Credit

Specific requirements usually apply to receiving credit for an internship:

Adviser Approval: The student must describe the internship to their academic adviser and have them acknowledge that it merits an internship relative to their major. It must be an experience that provides students with insight into their aspiring career once they complete their degree. The adviser needs to approve the internship and determine if it meets the criteria of a valid career experience. This is based solely on a discussion between the student and adviser.
Internship Form: Obtain the internship form from the Department Internship Coordinators.
Minimum Hours and Journaling: Complete the internship (minimum 120 hours), keep a journal of experiences, and ensure hours are documented. Students' journals can be in any format but eventually will need to be submitted in a digital format. The journal should have a minimum of weekly entries and describe the tasks and experiences students had during their internship. It must also clearly document their hours!
Course Registration: Sign up for internship credit the semester after completing the experience; only last semester seniors will be allowed to register during the semester they are completing the internship. Failure to submit a journal or completing less than 120 hours may result in a failing grade.

Specific Course Examples

BIOS 4910: A 2-credit-hour course for internships, graded as credit/no credit.
BIO SCI 289 or BIO SCI 489: Courses that allow students to obtain credit for their internship.
BIOSC 1901, 1903, or 1904: Research credits earned through satisfactory/no credit grading, requiring 5 hours of work per week for each credit.
CHM 484/BCH 484: Course credit that can be gained for some internships.

Types of Internships

Molecular biology internships span a wide range of settings and specializations:

Read also: Research at UCF: Molecular Biology

Research Labs: Working alongside faculty and graduate students on research projects, both within university departments and at affiliated medical or dental schools.
Pharmaceutical Companies: Gaining experience in drug discovery, development, and testing.
National Parks: Focusing on wildlife conservation, environmental biology, or related fields.
Food Industries: Applying molecular biology techniques to food science and safety.
Clinical Laboratories: Performing clinical laboratory sciences internships, particularly for students interested in becoming registered medical technologists.
Government Agencies: Working with agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the Department of Homeland Security.
Non-Profit Organizations: Contributing to conservation efforts, global health initiatives, or science education.
Biotechnology Companies: Participating in cutting-edge research and development in biotechnology.
Hospitals and Medical Centers: Working in clinical research or healthcare settings.

Benefits of Internships

Participating in molecular biology internships offers numerous benefits:

Career Exploration: Internships help you decide which paths to pursue after your undergraduate career.
Preparation for Graduate/Professional School: Most schools and employers want to see that you have research experience.
Networking Opportunities: You will get to work with faculty, graduate students, and professionals, and get to know your professors better.
Skill Development: You will gain useful experience and learn problem-solving skills that cannot be learned reading a textbook.
Scientific Method Proficiency: You will become especially adept at using the scientific method and generating your own hypotheses.
Enhanced Understanding: Research aids in your understanding of class material.
Improved Literacy: You will read many journal articles during your research experience and develop the ability to understand scientific literature.
Communication Skills: You will sharpen writing and presentation skills by presenting your research.
Resume Building: Undergraduate research and internships are a great resume builder no matter what your career goals. Research faculty and employers can be great references.
Professional Learning: An internship is a professional learning opportunity that is offered by an employer to provide meaningful and practical work related to a student’s field of study. The experience will help you to develop your career goals and will look great on your future resume!
Milestone Credit: It is now possible for the University to note a milestone credit on the transcript for students who have successfully completed a summer internship related to their home department with proper approval.

How to Prepare for an Internship

Securing a molecular biology internship requires careful preparation:

Assess Availability: Before you begin searching for a project you need to understand how much time that you have to dedicate to a project. Outline your schedule including classes, out of class commitments, and time which you feel could be dedicated to research. This availability should be clearly communicated with any professors you contact.
Explore Current Research: The most important step is to familiarize yourself with the research being conducted in various labs. Take notes on faculty that interest you. You can even view abstracts and papers from the lab in the publication section of each profile. You don’t need to understand it all, but it may help to focus your interests.
Prepare a Resume/C.V.: Professors realize that students in their first or second years may not have the experience necessary to generate a meaningful resume/C.V. This should not discourage underclassmen. For such students, a statement including relevant personal information and scientific interest is sufficient. Additionally, you may request a meeting with the professor to talk about the possibility of working in the lab.

Read also: Science and Technology Internships
Contact Professors Early: If you would like to start research in the fall semester, do not wait until the fall to contact professors; instead, start making contacts in the spring or summer for these positions. Note that professors can get flooded with requests for laboratory positions making it difficult for them to respond. Be sure to plan accordingly.
Prepare Questions: During your meeting with the professor you may want to find out some more information about the expectations for undergraduates in the lab. These expectations differ from lab to lab. Getting answers to your questions will ensure that the lab is in fact a good fit for you. Consider questions such as:
- How many hours do undergraduates usually work?
- Are hours flexible if I have other academic obligations?
- Will I be able to work independently or will I be supervised?
- Will I be able to work on a project?
- Are there any papers I must read before starting?
- What funding opportunities exist?

Financial Considerations

Paid vs. Unpaid: Whether or not you will be paid depends solely on the employer that is offering the Internship. Some internships are paid, and some are on a volunteer basis. When applying for internships this information should be made available by the employer.
Competitiveness: Keep in mind that paid internships are often very competitive and do not often provide a very high wage.
Stipends: Some summer research programs offer stipends, housing, and transportation.
Funding Opportunities: Inquire about funding opportunities during meetings with professors.

Specific Internship Programs

Several specific internship programs are worth exploring:

Rutgers Health Service Corps (RHSC): Offers a life science-based internship with academic components.
BCMP Summer Scholars (Harvard University): A summer internship program focused on molecular mechanisms in biology.
Amgen Scholars Program: A biotechnology-focused program at various universities.
NIH Summer Internship Program: A science and biotechnology internship at the National Institutes of Health.
Cold Harbor Springs Laboratory: Internships in cancer, plant biology, genetics, and cell/molecular biology.
University of Pittsburgh - Summer Undergraduate Research Internships (SURI): Neuroscience, Molecular internships.
West Virginia Univ. - Summer Undergraduate Research Internships (SURI): Neuroscience, Molecular internships.

Clinical Laboratory Science Internship

Students in any biological sciences major track may choose to enter a clinical laboratory sciences internship provide they have taken Microbiology (BIOS 3210), Immunology (BIOS 4860, 4865), and Human Physiology (BIOS 3450). The internship year in a licensed clinical facility qualifies a student to take the American Society of Clinical Pathologists registry exam to become a registered medical technologist.

Research Opportunities at WVU

Biology 484, 485, and 486 courses are a sequence of three semesters of original research completed by undergraduate majors in biology under the guidance of research faculty at WVU. junior status or higher, and completed the biology core courses. of work. a faculty mentor in the summer. a professional conference or for supplies. every summer in clinical and basic cancer research. nervous-system function. outstanding research performed by undergraduates at West Virginia University. are funded by the National Science Foundation. Typically, they pay a stipend, room, board and travel.

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