Finding an Internship Overview
For me, finding an internship began by compiling a list of potential internships and then composing proposal emails to match the enterprise or institution. I emailed 8 businesses and research institutions before I got the internship at the biochemistry laboratory at Colorado School of Mines. I came about finding my internship originally by looking for internships involving the use of microalgae for biodiesel. I found the profile of Dr. Posewitz my mentor near the beginning of my search in early January. I never had composed an email to him until I found out that my friend had gotten an internship at Colorado School of Mines. It was this that spurred me to take action and send an email to Dr. Posewitz this ended up fruitfully unlike my past 8 attempts and I secured my internship.
I hope to learn a lot m0re about the research and prospects that microalgae can bring to the world while I am on this internship. I have talked once over the phone with my mentor Dr. Posewitz and am very excited for whatever he has instore for me at the laboratory at Colorado School of Mines. Over the phone Dr. Posewitz told me that I could come up with a project in biochemistry or he could come up with one for me. Me not knowing alot about biochemistry or algae told him that I was interested in the various prospects of algae and would love it if he could come up with some projects for me surrounding the algae research that they are doing at the laboratory at Colorado School of Mines.
I hope to learn a lot m0re about the research and prospects that microalgae can bring to the world while I am on this internship. I have talked once over the phone with my mentor Dr. Posewitz and am very excited for whatever he has instore for me at the laboratory at Colorado School of Mines. Over the phone Dr. Posewitz told me that I could come up with a project in biochemistry or he could come up with one for me. Me not knowing alot about biochemistry or algae told him that I was interested in the various prospects of algae and would love it if he could come up with some projects for me surrounding the algae research that they are doing at the laboratory at Colorado School of Mines.
Preparation and Anticipation
January |
1/12/2019
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Right now I am finally getting around to composing the emails to my potensial internships. The first internship that I am emailing is Global Algae Innovations. I am also considering a couple of businesses in the aerospace industry in Seattle Washington such as Spacex and Blue Origins.
February |
1/25/2019
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I have emailed and considered over 20 businesses and institutions all of which have either said no or have not replied at all. I did not expect just how difficult it is for a high school student to get a internship. Often times most businesses want you to be a college student, it is fairly unheard of for a highschool student to do and internship like the Leading Internships for New Knowledge program. Despite these setbacks I have met with our internship counselor and I heave renewed hope in a potential internship at the Colorado School of Mines.
March |
3/19/2019
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Great news I sent an email to both the mentor of a fellow student Andrew Petruska and Matthew Posewitz both associated with Colorado School of Mines. I just recently got a reply from Dr. Posewitz the chemistry professor at Colorado School of Mines. I will be contacting him via phone about specifics for filling out paperwork on this Tuesday.
April |
4/08/2019
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Checked in with Jenae our internship counselor today to make sure that my mentor Dr. Posewitz had replied to an email that she sent to him including the schools officiating paperwork for the internship. He had not sent the paperwork back yet so I gave him a follow up email to remind him to fill out the paperwork. I also included into the email a list of questions about what would be necessary to bring the first day. In the call that I had with Dr. Posewits in March we discussed some of what I would be doing during my time there. He gave me the option to choose a research project to complete while I was there or the option for him to choose the project for me. I opted for him to choose for me because I did not have much experience in the area of choosing a college research project. In the email I sent today I asked him if he had given any thought to this, I also told him that I was interested in his passion for renewable energy specifically his work on microalgae biofuels.
April |
4/15/2019
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Received a reply email from Dr. Posewitz at Colorado School of Mines, and finally got all of the required paperwork filled out by both parties for making the internship official. Extremely excited about the potential projects that they are working on in the field of growing algae and modifying it for various industries. Will leave for the internship with my friend Jem who also got an internship at Colorado School of Mines working in mechanical engineering and coding for autonomous flying drones. Leaving on Sunday April 21st for this internship.