2015 Summer Internships Thread

[QuantumCurt]

Congrats on your acceptance! Do you know what kind of project you'll be working on yet?

I've finally gotten some more information about my internship at Fermilab. I'm going to be monitoring the stability of the neutrino beam with NuMI and MiniBooNE. My mentor sent me a couple hundred pages of suggested reading that I've been working my way through between my course work and final exam prep.

 

[ModestyKing]

Thanks QuantumCurt!
I'll be making nanostructured thin films, for substrate-mediated gene delivery! From what I looked up I'll be putting altered DNA on these nanostructured columnar thin films and injecting those into cell populations. My field isn't biophysics or anything (I applied for a different project), but it's the project that was offered to me. I'll learn a bunch!

My mentor said to wait until mid-May before she'd send any suggested reading.

 

[QuantumCurt]

That sounds like it's going to be really cool. I was lucky enough to get assigned to a neutrino project, which is my current main area of interest, so I'm very happy about that. It sounds like you're going to have an awesome experience there though even if it isn't necessarily your main area of interest.

 

[ModestyKing]

Yeah! I'm going to learn a lot! My school featured me in their paper because I'm a freshman that got into this REU. (I only applied to places that expressly stated they'd accept freshman). I'll learn a bunch, including what it's like to do research for 40 hours a week (hopefully it'll be a good experience).

 

[neosoul]

I applied for about 5 programs (UAB, MIRTHE, MagLab, Norfolk State U, Jet Propulsion Lab) and was accepted to the Mag Lab and offered an internship at NOAA (Shreveport) via my department chair. I accepted the offer at the MagLab [:

 

[Dishsoap]

That sounds like it's going to be really cool. I was lucky enough to get assigned to a neutrino project, which is my current main area of interest, so I'm very happy about that. It sounds like you're going to have an awesome experience there though even if it isn't necessarily your main area of interest.

Which program are you in at Fermilab? Is it SULI?

 

[QuantumCurt]

I'm in CCI, which is Community College Internships. I thought about applying for SULI instead, but the SULI applicant pool is much larger, and thus more competitive. The CCI applicant pool tends to be a bit smaller. Next year I'll be at UIUC, so I'll apply for SULI, assuming that I apply again.

 

[Dishsoap]

I'm in CCI, which is Community College Internships. I thought about applying for SULI instead, but the SULI applicant pool is much larger, and thus more competitive. The CCI applicant pool tends to be a bit smaller. Next year I'll be at UIUC, so I'll apply for SULI, assuming that I apply again.

Ah, excellent! Best of luck, I think you'll really enjoy it there.

 

[QuantumCurt]

Thanks! I'm really looking forward to it. I arrive there on the 30th, so it's not that far off. I've got two more finals this week, then I get two weeks off before starting.

I'm going to be monitoring the stability of the neutrino beam at NuMI and used by MiniBooNE, or something along those lines. My mentor wasn't too explicit about the actual project. He gave me some suggested reading though. The NuMI rookie book and the MiniBooNE rookie book. I've started poking through them a bit. I plan to sit down and really spend some time with them during my couple weeks off.

 

[szimmy]

A little late to the thread but I applied to Rutgers, Lehigh, Penn State, Notre Dame, and Princeton Center for Complex Materials.
Accepted into Penn State and PCCM, took the Princeton position.

Rising junior from a no name school, pretty excited! I'm sure my material based Reu from my home university as a rising sophomore helped me out. Gonna reach for national labs next year!

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Congrats to all who got their internships!

 

[gfd43tg]

I've applied to I estimate around 150 internships, only have gotten one interview and I didn't get the job. Feeling down that I can't find work

 

[QuantumCurt]

1 week from today I'll be arriving at Fermilab to start my internship! I can't wait!

I've applied to I estimate around 150 internships, only have gotten one interview and I didn't get the job. Feeling down that I can't find work

150 internships? When I was searching for them, I don't think I even found that many internships in the physical sciences. In situations like this one is often better off narrowing their scope a bit and spending time making sure that one really has a good application. Essays for these applications say a lot, and when one is writing 150 of them, it's hard to give each one a lot of attention. Good luck finding something for the summer, and better luck on the internships next year.

 

[gfd43tg]

Not science, and not REU. I'm talking about internships in industry for engineering, specifically chemical engineering.

 

[Dishsoap]

1 week from today I'll be arriving at Fermilab to start my internship! I can't wait!

I am seriously quite jealous of you. I LOVED my time at Fermilab, and I'm sure you will, too.

If you hear a story of an intern who had to have the Coast Guard come and save her... that was me =)

 

[QuantumCurt]

I am seriously quite jealous of you. I LOVED my time at Fermilab, and I'm sure you will, too.

If you hear a story of an intern who had to have the Coast Guard come and save her... that was me =)

I'm very much looking forward to it. I got a link to the website for the apartments we're all staying at, and I must say...it's not what I was expecting. I was expecting something that basically amounted to a glorified dorm room. This place looks seriously nice. Heated swimming pool, 24/7 fitness center, a cybercafe onsite, big luxurious looking furnishings...

Between this and the natural areas onsite at Fermilab, it's going to be like a resort! And this is all aside from the research! lol

If you hear a story of an intern who had to have the Coast Guard come and save her... that was me =)

This sounds like it has the potential to be a very amusing story.
What did you end up deciding? I could have sworn you mentioned a decision here but I couldn't find it. Are you going with the University of Colorado at Boulder REU?

 

[Dishsoap]

I'm very much looking forward to it. I got a link to the website for the apartments we're all staying at, and I must say...it's not what I was expecting. I was expecting something that basically amounted to a glorified dorm room. This place looks seriously nice. Heated swimming pool, 24/7 fitness center, a cybercafe onsite, big luxurious looking furnishings...

Between this and the natural areas onsite at Fermilab, it's going to be like a resort! And this is all aside from the research! lol

It sounds like you are staying at the same place we were! I can't remember the name of the apartments to save my life, but it was on the corner of Aurora Rd. and route 59 in Naperville. But yes... SUPER nice! Living with 3 other people in a 2-bedroom wasn't ideal, but it's only for 10 weeks. Also, one thing you HAVE to do is check out American Science & Surplus. It's maybe only 15-20 minutes away, and they sell all sorts of nifty little geeky things like science kits, build-your-own-whatever kits, blah blah blah.

Also, one more recommendation. Every Monday (I think) there is a colloquium at lunch which is aimed at undergrads. Go faithfully! They are generally pretty interesting.

This sounds like it has the potential to be a very amusing story.

Long story short, I bought an inflatable raft at Walmart to go on Lake Michigan near Indiana Dunes state park (maybe an hour away). Floated off to watch the sunset, and wasn't able to get back. No life vest, and I couldn't figure out how to inflate the bottom part of the raft so there were some water issues (to put it mildly). I was out there for 6-7 hours (until a little after midnight) until someone on the shore heard me screaming. The Coast Guard had to come rescue me, and somehow the two scientists in charge of our intern group found out. :)

I live downstate in Illinois so the whole rafting thing was a new experience for me. Clearly.

What did you end up deciding? I could have sworn you mentioned a decision here but I couldn't find it. Are you going with the University of Colorado at Boulder REU?

Yep, I'll be driving out to Boulder on Wednesday night. The pictures of the mountains out there have really got me drooling!

 

[QuantumCurt]

It sounds like you are staying at the same place we were! I can't remember the name of the apartments to save my life, but it was on the corner of Aurora Rd. and route 59 in Naperville. But yes... SUPER nice! Living with 3 other people in a 2-bedroom wasn't ideal, but it's only for 10 weeks. Also, one thing you HAVE to do is check out American Science & Surplus. It's maybe only 15-20 minutes away, and they sell all sorts of nifty little geeky things like science kits, build-your-own-whatever kits, blah blah blah.

I'm staying at Bristol Station Apartments, which is right off of 59 in Naperville. So it sounds like you were at least in the same area, if not the same place. I'm going to have three roommates, so there will be four of us in the 2 bedroom. That's a drawback, but it should be fine. That store sounds like my kind of place. I'm going to make a point to check that out at some point.

Also, one more recommendation. Every Monday (I think) there is a colloquium at lunch which is aimed at undergrads. Go faithfully! They are generally pretty interesting.

I think the colloquium you're referring to is actually every Wednesday during lunch this summer. We've got a list of topics, and many of them sound awesome. Lots of stuff about accelerator physics, particle physics, the standard model, neutrinos, dark energy, cosmic expansion...tons of cool stuff. The Fermilab Users' Meeting Is coming up a couple of weeks after it starts. The keynote speaker during the Users' Meeting is giving a lecture called Ice Fishing for Neutrinos summarizing all of the findings to date from the South Pole Ice Cube Neutrino Observatory. Neutrinos have quickly become my main area of interest recently, so I'm really looking forward to this. There's a lecture later in the summer about The Origins of Cellular Life that I'm really looking forward to.

Long story short, I bought an inflatable raft at Walmart to go on Lake Michigan near Indiana Dunes state park (maybe an hour away). Floated off to watch the sunset, and wasn't able to get back. No life vest, and I couldn't figure out how to inflate the bottom part of the raft so there were some water issues (to put it mildly). I was out there for 6-7 hours (until a little after midnight) until someone on the shore heard me screaming. The Coast Guard had to come rescue me, and somehow the two scientists in charge of our intern group found out. :)

I live downstate in Illinois so the whole rafting thing was a new experience for me. Clearly.

Wow, that sounds like a rather terrifying experience. That can happen fairly easily in big lakes or the ocean. It's easy to space out and drift away from shore without realizing it. I'm glad to hear that you made it out of there. That was definitely a learning experience.

Yep, I'll be driving out to Boulder on Wednesday night. The pictures of the mountains out there have really got me drooling!

If you're an outdoorsy person at all, you'll love it there. I've spent a fair amount of time in both the Denver and Boulder areas. I love it there. The mountains are incredible. Make a point to go check out Estes in Rocky Mountain National Park. It's an amazing area with some of the best hiking you'll ever see. Gem Lake is one of my favorite areas in Estes. Twin Sister's peak and Long's Peak are just south of Estes, and both offer some incredible hiking.

Now I'm kind of jealous of you too.

Do you know what kind of project you're working on yet?

 

[Dishsoap]

I'm staying at Bristol Station Apartments, which is right off of 59 in Naperville. So it sounds like you were at least in the same area, if not the same place. I'm going to have three roommates, so there will be four of us in the 2 bedroom. That's a drawback, but it should be fine. That store sounds like my kind of place. I'm going to make a point to check that out at some point.
I think the colloquium you're referring to is actually every Wednesday during lunch this summer. We've got a list of topics, and many of them sound awesome. Lots of stuff about accelerator physics, particle physics, the standard model, neutrinos, dark energy, cosmic expansion...tons of cool stuff. The Fermilab Users' Meeting Is coming up a couple of weeks after it starts. The keynote speaker during the Users' Meeting is giving a lecture called Ice Fishing for Neutrinos summarizing all of the findings to date from the South Pole Ice Cube Neutrino Observatory. Neutrinos have quickly become my main area of interest recently, so I'm really looking forward to this. There's a lecture later in the summer about The Origins of Cellular Life that I'm really looking forward to.

Yes, that's the name of it. It's really nice, and it's great that they furnish everything for you. Maybe it was Wednesdays for us, too... not sure. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to go to the User's Meeting last summer. That does sound pretty neat! I could be remembering wrong, but didn't you say you'd be working on BooNE? If so, that sounds right up your alley :)

If you're an outdoorsy person at all, you'll love it there. I've spent a fair amount of time in both the Denver and Boulder areas. I love it there. The mountains are incredible. Make a point to go check out Estes in Rocky Mountain National Park. It's an amazing area with some of the best hiking you'll ever see. Gem Lake is one of my favorite areas in Estes. Twin Sister's peak and Long's Peak are just south of Estes, and both offer some incredible hiking.

Now I'm kind of jealous of you too.

Do you know what kind of project you're working on yet?

I am an outdoorsy person, I've been to Boulder before and absolutely loved it. And actually yes, I am goes to Estes Park on Friday. Just trying to find a hike which has amazing views but isn't too difficult since I'll still be adjusting to the altitude. Any ideas?

No idea what kind of project I'm working on, other than it being "computational biophysics". When I asked my mentor about what it might entail, she responded with an Amazon link to a textbook, so I'm not so sure =)

 

[neosoul]

I arrive in Los Alamos on the 31st and start my REU on June 1. I'm so nervous just thinking about it but I know it'll be something I won't regret

 

[QuantumCurt]

Yes, that's the name of it. It's really nice, and it's great that they furnish everything for you. Maybe it was Wednesdays for us, too... not sure. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to go to the User's Meeting last summer. That does sound pretty neat! I could be remembering wrong, but didn't you say you'd be working on BooNE? If so, that sounds right up your alley :)
I am an outdoorsy person, I've been to Boulder before and absolutely loved it. And actually yes, I am goes to Estes Park on Friday. Just trying to find a hike which has amazing views but isn't too difficult since I'll still be adjusting to the altitude. Any ideas?

No idea what kind of project I'm working on, other than it being "computational biophysics". When I asked my mentor about what it might entail, she responded with an Amazon link to a textbook, so I'm not so sure =)

I'm not completely sure what I'm working on yet. I know that the general scope of the project is monitoring the stability of neutrino beams. My mentor suggested that I read the general Fermilab Rookie Book detailing the basics of the whole accelerator complex, as well as the rookie books for both NuMI and MiniBooNE. He further suggested that I Google things that I'm unfamiliar with and pointed out how valuable of a resource Wikipedia is. My English professors probably would have slapped him for saying that.

Sounds like you don't know any more about yours than I do about mine. Computational biophysics sounds like it could be cool. I got a chance to tour one of the biophysics research projects at UIUC last summer, and it was quite interesting. They were researching quantum effects on motor neurons and microtubules in the brain.

http://alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/gem-lake-trail in Estes Park is an easy-moderate difficulty trail with lots of wonderful rock formations. It's a fairly short hike; 1.8 miles in and out. Gem Lake itself is breathtaking in the right light. It's easy to see how it gets the name.

http://alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/emerald-lake is another good one that's not too difficult. 3.6 miles in and out.

I arrive in Los Alamos on the 31st and start my REU on June 1. I'm so nervous just thinking about it but I know it'll be something I won't regret

I know what you mean. I'm a bit nervous about starting as well, but I'm incredibly excited. Only a few more days! I'm ready to get there.

 

[Dishsoap]

I'm not completely sure what I'm working on yet. I know that the general scope of the project is monitoring the stability of neutrino beams. My mentor suggested that I read the general Fermilab Rookie Book detailing the basics of the whole accelerator complex, as well as the rookie books for both NuMI and MiniBooNE. He further suggested that I Google things that I'm unfamiliar with and pointed out how valuable of a resource Wikipedia is. My English professors probably would have slapped him for saying that.

Sounds like you don't know any more about yours than I do about mine. Computational biophysics sounds like it could be cool. I got a chance to tour one of the biophysics research projects at UIUC last summer, and it was quite interesting. They were researching quantum effects on motor neurons and microtubules in the brain.

I didn't even know there was a rookie book! Sounds like an invaluable research that I, um... probably should've known about. Anyway, at the end of the first day there is a gathering where you meet with your mentor. I'm sure by the end of Monday you'll know a bit more about what you'll be doing.

Yes, should be! I have never even taken a biology course (even in high school) so I'm quite worried. I'm also not sure what the line is between computational biology (if there is such a thing) and computational biophysics. I just hope it's strong on the physics :)

http://alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/gem-lake-trail in Estes Park is an easy-moderate difficulty trail with lots of wonderful rock formations. It's a fairly short hike; 1.8 miles in and out. Gem Lake itself is breathtaking in the right light. It's easy to see how it gets the name.

http://alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/emerald-lake is another good one that's not too difficult. 3.6 miles in and out.

Ah, good! I was actually looking at hitting up Gem Lake on Friday. I'm leaving tonight, driving overnight and will arrive tomorrow, so I'll probably be too exhausted to go hiking tomorrow. I'm so excited! Well, not for the drive though...

 

[QuantumCurt]

Long story short, I bought an inflatable raft at Walmart to go on Lake Michigan near Indiana Dunes state park (maybe an hour away). Floated off to watch the sunset, and wasn't able to get back. No life vest, and I couldn't figure out how to inflate the bottom part of the raft so there were some water issues (to put it mildly). I was out there for 6-7 hours (until a little after midnight) until someone on the shore heard me screaming. The Coast Guard had to come rescue me, and somehow the two scientists in charge of our intern group found out. :)

I live downstate in Illinois so the whole rafting thing was a new experience for me. Clearly.

I arrived at the apartment today. There was a welcome packet talking about some things to do in the area. It specified not to float out onto Lake Michigan far enough to require rescue by the Coast Guard.

 

[Dishsoap]

I arrived at the apartment today. There was a welcome packet talking about some things to do in the area. It specified not to float out onto Lake Michigan far enough to require rescue by the Coast Guard.

Wait, you can't possibly be serious...

On a side note, I went on Gem Lake Trail yesterday as you suggested. Thank you SO much for pointing that one out, it was absolutely beautiful!

 

[QuantumCurt]

Wait, you can't possibly be serious...

On a side note, I went on Gem Lake Trail yesterday as you suggested. Thank you SO much for pointing that one out, it was absolutely beautiful!

I'm totally serious. There was a list of things not to do, and that was the last thing on the list...lol...I about died laughing.

I'm glad you enjoyed it! It really is an excellent trail. Really though, it's hard to find a bad one around Estes.

 

[Dishsoap]

I'm totally serious. There was a list of things not to do, and that was the last thing on the list...lol...I about died laughing.

I'm glad you enjoyed it! It really is an excellent trail. Really though, it's hard to find a bad one around Estes.

If you can manage, PLEASE send me a picture!

On your second point... I agree. Even the drive out there was breathtaking!

 

[QuantumCurt]

Here you go.

 

[Dishsoap]

That makes me so happy. Thank you very much!

Unfortunately, we did not get a welcome packet, or else I might've known better!

I'm glad that my stupidity will leave a legacy.

 

[QuantumCurt]

You've become a legend...lol

I picked up the rental car at Fermilab earlier, and there was a packet with a bunch of different information about local events and things like that with it. I'll have to mention to Tanja that I know you.

 

[Dishsoap]

You've become a legend...lol

I picked up the rental car at Fermilab earlier, and there was a packet with a bunch of different information about local events and things like that with it. I'll have to mention to Tanja that I know you.

Oh wow, we didn't get any of that! But yeah, looking at the list, a lot of the "do not"s come from us. One of our fellow interns hit a car then drove off.

And yeah, definitely hit up some of the local events. There are a bunch of awesome festivals and stuff.