The experience that is shaping the rest of my life
By Hannah Hoag
Every 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 alternative careers, and may even get published. Moreover, undergraduates get a chance to try out academia or industry before taking the leap to graduate school. Graduate students can test out a career before signing the contract.
Undergraduates 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 cater to/ are intended for undergraduates in their third and fourth years, although those in their second are also encouraged to apply. "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 Saeqa Vrtilek, 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. Those with some lab experience and aspirations to join the space programme can consider the NASA Academy. 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. "People in this programme will hopefully become NASA centre directors," says Rosage.
Abbott 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 are popular across the board**, offering 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.
Students often find themselves as co-authors on journal articles. And the summer can have a significant impact on undergraduates returning to start their final-year thesis. Choosing a supervisor is significantly easier when you can go into a meeting and talk about your summer research, list the techniques that you 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're often not interested in being journalists but they enjoy the teaching part. They enjoy conveying 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)
3. Match the verbs in A with their complements in B. Make use of the text if necessary.
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make
a window into research culture
try out
research problems
sign
students a chance
analyze
the fruits of their labours
inspire
valuable contacts
work on
a presentation
offer
the contract
provide
data
present
academia or industry
give
the next generation of explorers
Discuss
What are the benefits/advantages 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 Russia?
Do you think they would be popular with science students in our country?
Why?/Why not?
Focus on language
Reported Speech Reported speech is used to express what others have said. It is also useful when you are writing a paper at college level. In this case, it involves paraphrasing and summarizing what different authors have said.
e.g. “Are you a student?”, asked Mr. Smith. - Mr. Smith asked if I was a student. “Don't speak now, Melissa!”, said Mr. Brown. - He (Mr. Brown) told Melissa not to speak. “When I was having breakfast, the telephone suddenly rang.” - She said that when she was having breakfast, the telephone suddenly rang. “Say hello to your mum.” - She asked me to say hello to my mum.
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.
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Practice
1. Complete the basic rules for backshift when transforming direct speech into reported speech.
Direct Speech |
Reported Speech |
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now |
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the day before |
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days ago |
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the week before |
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next year |
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the next day / the following day |
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here |
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that |
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these |
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Direct Speech |
Reported Speech |
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Present Tense Future with "Going to" Present Perfect Sentences with "Can" Future with "Will" Present Progressive |
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2. Go back to the text. Find the sentences in the direct speech and report them.
Example: "One of NASA's missions is to inspire the next generation of explorers," says Dave Rosage.
You say: Dave Rosage said / agreed that one of NASA's missions was to inspire the next generation of explorers.
3.
Report what the former interns say about their experience.
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Get Real |
Search the Internet to find information on the internship programmes in your field of science. Find the internship programme you would like to do best of all. Tell the class about it and see how many people would like to do it. Follow the guidelines below:
Name of the job
Opportunities for foreign students
Duties involved
Personal qualities required
Skills and qualifications to gain
Speaking |
Work in groups. Present and discuss the information on the intern programmes you have found + evaluate+ rate
Reading |
1. What sort of job can you get with a science degree after graduating from the university?
2. What degree should you get for working in research areas?
3. Which do you prefer to work in pure or applied science? Why?
4. What industries require the application of scientific knowledge?
How do you think the new millennium change the way you work?
5. As a class name as many science related jobs as you know ending in -ist, -er/or, -ant/ent, -tian/cian. How many have you got?
6. Read the text and note down the names of the jobs you didn’t know/ are new for you. Compare your lists.