Name: Amanpreet Aujla

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: John Hopkins Center for Learning and Health

Position Title: Research Intern

Major(s)/Minor(s): Biological Sciences

Expected Graduation Year: 2017

Briefly describe your internship, co-op,  or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

I worked at the Johns Hopkins Center for Learning and Health. It is a treatment research unit dedicated to providing and evaluating behavioral interventions that address problems of drug addiction, poverty, and unemployment. My fellow team members and I looked for participants in drug detox facilities who have had drug addiction problems. We provided these participants with medication to help block the effects of drugs but more specifically heroin. Additionally, I gave them jobs skills training including mathematical and reading skills and in addition provided them with income. However, if it is seen that they are using drugs while on the medication, the income is taken away. Therefore, these incentives are used to help participants stay abstinent. I recorded assessments of the participants to see progress. Furthermore, I looked at urine results and saw how many times drugs are used and additionally, blood tests are taken. I also made a video to showcase our research study  in order to gain more participants to join our study.

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I found this internship through UMBC. I got my resume reviewed through an adviser and started applying on the jobs page. I got called into an interview in a couple weeks after sending in my resume. 

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

I enjoyed making a difference in people's lives. Working with people who come from difficult backgrounds and have drug addictions, my ultimate goal was to help them get jobs and stay drug free. Getting to know each of my participants and working with a great team of researchers, I learned a lot about research and how everyone is so diverse. Seeing the participants grow as people, and noting how they worked so hard to get jobs made me happy and helped me realize that anyone has the potential to go forward. 

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

I believe I made an impact by creating a video that will now be used every time the researchers go out and look for participants rather than the staff presenting with a piece of paper. I also learned a lot about the participants and helped them obtain jobs. Furthermore, I helped with projects and assisted researchers with various tasks that helped me get a better understanding of how complicated research can be. 

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

I would say that UMBC is a great portal to obtain a job. Getting my resume reviewed helped me the most when it came to getting this internship. If it wasn't for the Umbcworks page, I would have never had this amazing opportunity. I also recommend that other students get in contact with faculty and try to get research with them. Every step counts and it is important to get started early so you are always ahead of the game. 

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Internships are known as great opportunities for students to gain insight into their future careers, learn more about the working world, and start networking before they even graduate. But could they be something more?

This summer, UMBC students found that their internships could also enable them to profoundly impact local communities. While many Retrievers traveled to internships across the nation and the world—from Google in California to Grameen Bank in Bangladesh—others were focused on having an impact closer to UMBC’s Baltimore home.

UMBC students served as interns with non-profit organizations, government agencies, and companies essential to the Baltimore’s infrastructure, economy, and culture.

Rosa Rada ’17, interdisciplinary studies, helped improve community health through her internship with Baltimore City Health Department’s Baltimarket, which works to ensure food access throughout the city. “What I loved most about my position is that I was working for a program that was community-based and community-driven,” she said. “I was doing the work that I am most passionate about, in a city that I love dearly.”

In a survey of 2015 summer interns, UMBC’s Career Center found that over 70% of participating students increased their awareness of civic responsibility as a result of their internship and over 90% gained a deeper understanding of their career goals.

“We truly believe that internships can have a transformational effect, both for the students completing them and the communities in which they are working,” shared Kerry Kidwell-Slak, associate director of internships and employment at UMBC’s Career Center. “In these experiences, students are able to apply and test theories discussed in the classroom, and communities benefit from the new perspectives the students bring.”

Rachel Albert ’18, English and social work, worked to help asylum seekers adjust to life in the United States through her internship at the International Rescue Committee this summer. “I've really enjoyed the knowledge that what I'm doing, whether it's escorting clients to the hospital, talking with them, or making phone calls on their behalf, aids them as they begin their new life in Baltimore,” she said.

When interns engage with their community, employers take notice. “I would strongly recommend a UMBC intern to anyone wanting to provide a professional experience to impressive students ready and willing to jump into whatever is thrown at them,” said Tyler Stoddard, a case manager at the International Rescue Committee.

Meet some of UMBC’s summer interns, committed to making a difference in Baltimore!

To read more internship stories, check out #UMBCintern!

Below are featured events and internship/employment opportunities that have recently been posted or have application deadline dates that are quickly approaching!  To see all that the UMBC Career Center has to offer YOU, please visit our myUMBC group page or log into your UMBCworks account!

FEATURED EVENTS….

Upcoming On the Roads….check them out and RSVP via UMBCworks!

NEW!  On the Road: Idealist Grad School Fair, Thursday, October 1, 2015, 3:30 – 8:00 pm.  Thinking about graduate school?  This one is for you!

NEW!  GRADUATE and UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS!  On the Road: The Nielsen Company, Friday, October 2, 2015, 9 am – 1 pm

Will you be graduating in December 2015 or May 2016? Do you realize that the heaviest recruitment season will begin in October? Spend a Friday afternoon with us and be prepared to face this critical time with confidence!  Senior Success Seminar– Friday, September 18, 2015 – RSVP is required!

Inside Scoop: Global Careers – Monday, September 21, Noon – 1 pm

UMBC Connects: GENERAL ELECTRIC (GE) – Wednesday, September 23, 11 am – 2 pm
STOP IN WHEN YOU ARE ABLE! No need to stay for the entire event!

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NEW!  On-Campus Interview Deadlines

Tutela Bedside Technologies
Health IT Emerging Tech Web Developer
Deadline to Apply:  September 15, 2015
Interview Date:  September 22, 2015

PNC Financial Services Group
ACCEL Retail Bank Development Program Analyst
Deadline to Apply:  September 16, 2015
Interview Date:  September 30, 2015

McCormick & Company, Inc
Co-Op Engineering (full-time winter through summer)
Deadline to Apply:  September 21, 2015
Interview Date:  October 5, 2015

FEATURED FULL-TIME & PART-TIME JOBS, INTERNSHIPS, AND RESEARCH POSITIONS

NEW!  Engineering Internships with GE for Freshmen and Sophomores
NEW!  Creative Copywriting/Marketing Internship at Mindgrub
NEW!  PAID Positions with the Kennedy Krieger Institute
NEW!  Neuroscience Laboratory Internship at UM School of Medicine

ATTENTION GRAD STUDENTS:  Social Security Admin - Hardy-Apfel IT Fellows Program 

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Must be eligible to be granted a security clearance
• Must be a full-time student in an undergraduate or graduate program
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 desired
• Must be available for the entire 12-week program
• Must be available for an operational interview and other applicable processing between May 2015 and March 2016
• Major studies areas of consideration:
• International Affairs/Politics/Relations

• Intelligence/Security Studies
• Regional Studies
• Economics
• Decision/Information/Data Science
• Note: Minors/Certificate programs or multiple courses in computer science, networking, technology, or telecommunications areas are highly sought.

Name: Michael Wolfe

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Position Title: Attitude Control Systems Engineer

Major(s)/Minor(s): Physics, Math  

Expected Graduation Year: 2017

Briefly describe your internship, co-op,  or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

I worked on the mission called NICER (Nuetron Star Interior Composition ExploreR). NICER is an x-ray timing and spectroscopy instrument that will launch to the International Space Station in 2016. NICER will resolve the nature of ultra-dense matter as well as demonstrate pulsar navigation by studying the dynamics of neutron stars. I'm on a team of attitude control engineers that develop and characterize the pointing system. Pointing the instrument within arcsecond accuracy is a challenge due to the vibrations of the ISS, stepper motor reaction torque, and thermal fluctuations in space. We run tests on the instrument that simulate a space like environment so we can tune its mechanical properties and software so it can perform properly despite the noisy environment. 

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I applied at NASA because of it’s groundbreaking developments in science and engineering. My faculty adviser told me that UMBC has a good reputation with the local Greenbelt campus. I also talked with people I knew in the field and they suggested this as one of the internships I should apply for. 

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

I enjoyed the opportunity to grow outside of my academic comfort zone. As a physics/math major, much of my time is spent on theory and calculating with ideal conditions. When working in an engineering field such as attitude control systems, you really have to learn how to work around the electro-mechanical limitations and imperfections of your spacecraft in order to optimize its performance. 

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

Calibrating and optimizing the optics and pointing system of the NICER instrument will allow it to properly collect x-rays emitted from neutron stars. This scientific data will help us understand and resolve ultra dense gravitation and lead to future pulsar navigation. 

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience? 

Challenge yourself. Be determined. Get outside your comfort zone.

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Like the Career Center on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram 

#UMBCintern

Want to be the next Intern of the Week? Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Friday!