Tag Archives: 2018

A Postcard From: Ashvika Dhir ’18

Posted on by

Name: Ashvika Dhir
Class Year: 2018
Major: International Studies
Hometown: Yardley, Pa.

Internship Placement: Luthra & Luthra Law Offices
Job Title: Legal Intern
Location: New Delhi, India

What’s happening at your internship?

Currently, I am assisting a senior partner with research on the first biosimilar case in India. So far I have familiarized myself with the specific case by reading all the case files that were prepared previous to my arrival. Now, I am researching international case laws, so that I can understand how these cases have been handled abroad outside of India. This might provide certain insight for the case at hand.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I have always been interested in law after reading about major cases in learning about some of the most accomplished lawyers in the field. Unfortunately, I had never had any first-hand exposure to the field besides what I had read about it. During my semester abroad, I had taken a class called “Law from a European Perspective.” I found that course to be very interesting and I wanted to learn about what law is like from an Asian perspective. My aunt is a practicing lawyer in Delhi and she introduced me to this opportunity. I thought that applying for this internship would allow me to learn about law while simultaneously working in the field. That is why I chose to apply for this internship!

Living in a new city? What has that experience been like for you?

During my childhood, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel back-and-forth between the United States and India to visit my family. In elementary school and middle school, my brother and I used to stay with my grandmother for 2 to 3 months at a time during our summer vacations. Usually, we stayed in Chandigarh and then we travelled to Delhi for short periods of time. This year has been much different since I am staying in Delhi for the entirety of my time in India. It took me a week or two to readjust to living here, but now I have found stability in a daily routine. Also, work keeps me occupied for majority of the week, so time has flown by quicker than I was expecting. After a month here, I could not be happier that I made the decision to take up this incredible opportunity.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?

So far, I think the biggest challenge has been adjusting to small differences in the workplace. Until now, I have only worked in the United States, so certain nuances in the workplace did not occur to me. Even though I was given a crash course on conducting business abroad, the only way I could learn about particular differences was by actually experiencing them for myself. For example, it did not occur to me that your superiors are called sir and ma’am here, despite whatever the age difference may be. I was also surprised to learn that most Indian employers expect interns to be able to start working independently on new assignments from the first day on the job. Although these slight differences were challenging at first, I think they have opened my eyes to expectations of working abroad. I feel that this will be a great advantage in the future.

A Postcard From: Ami Okazaki ’18

Posted on by

Name: Ami Okazaki
Class Year: 2018
Major: Chemistry
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.

Internship Placement: Bryn Mawr College Chemistry Department
Job Title: Student Researcher
Location: Bryn Mawr College

What’s happening at your internship?

I’m working in an organic chemistry lab that focuses on the development of new and efficient methodologies used to synthesize larger compounds out of simple molecules. Our field of research looks into processes called palladium cross-coupling and mono-gamma-arylation, which are unique methods used to attach a small molecule (an aryl group) to a specific location (gamma position) of another molecule (vinylogous ester or ketone). The challenges we face in this project involve controlling the regioselectivity (where the aryl group binds) and reactivity of the chemistry. I work on optimizing the conditions used to run these reactions so that we and other researchers in the field can synthesize the target products while forming minimal side products. So far, I’ve been probing the scope and limitations of our reaction conditions using a wide range of substrates with electron donating and electron withdrawing groups on the aryl substrate. The products of the reactions are first detected using gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy, and then I isolate the products using extraction, thin-layer chromatography, column chromatography, and rotary evaporation. Lastly, I characterize the purified products through melting point, proton and carbon NMR, and FTIR spectroscopy. By the end of the summer, we hope to have a better understanding of the optimal palladium-catalyzed reaction conditions that can be used for our specific method of creating new molecules.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I enjoyed working in the same lab the previous summer. I also wanted to live on campus because it’s so quiet and serene, and the city is just a train ride away.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

The good balance between work, study, and fun. I’m enjoying my summer by being around a familiar campus, lab, and people here at Bryn Mawr while also tackling unfamiliar challenges and techniques in the labwork. It’s really rewarding looking back and seeing how much I’ve grown as a student researcher and individual compared to the previous summer, and acknowledging that the journey wouldn’t have been possible without the resources and support from the college and mentors, both old and new.

Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?

challenging, uncertain, persistent

optimization, application, spectroscopy

A Postcard From: Catherine Rowen ’18

Posted on by

Rina and Catherine at Work! Photo credit: Joanna Underwood

Name: Catherine Rowen
Class Year: 2018
Major: Archaeology
Hometown: Santa Cruz, Calif.

Internship Placement: Energy Vision
Job Title: Summer Associate
Location: New York City

What’s happening at your internship?

The last month at Energy Vision has been full of excitement. Rina and I have been made to feel very much part of the team and have been given several important responsibilities for the summer. I am taking point on a report Energy Vision is compiling this summer on small-scale sustainable waste-energy units that offer communities and businesses onsite waste management options. I promise it’s a lot more exciting than it seems! I am getting a lot of time to talk to the leaders in this field and become an expert on a burgeoning industry with a bright future.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I have followed Energy Vision’s wonderful work ever since their President Matt Tomich came to a Bryn Mawr Geology class of mine sophomore year. He inspired me to do a lot of my own research on this topic and I jumped at the chance to contribute to their efforts.

What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn’t expect?

I am surprised by how much I love having a 9-to-5 job and seeing how much of a difference I can make by doing work that I love. I am excited to go to work every morning and tackle new problems. I love academia, but I love being part of a team even more. Especially one with such an important mission.

Living in a new city? What has that experience been like for you?

New York City is wonderful! I was afraid I was going to fall in love with it and all my fears were valid. It has been a real challenge to find and build a social network from the ground up, but I have met many fascinating people and managed to create the beginnings of a life for myself here. Thanks to LILAC for making that possible.

A Postcard From: Hayley Johnson ’18

Posted on by

Name: Hayley Johnson
Class Year: 2018
Major: Physics
Hometown: Vienna, Va.

Internship Placement: Bryn Mawr Summer Science
Job Title: Researcher
Location: Bryn Mawr, Pa.

What’s happening at your internship?

I’m doing computational work to identify a wave in the Large Plasma Device at UCLA. Rotating the plasma at certain speeds aids confinement, which is desirable for fusion purposes. But at those speeds we also see an unidentified wave cropping up that, based on my work, I now know is actually two waves. Data was taken last summer at UCLA, and now I’m running code to do data analysis and identify what kind of wave we’re looking at.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I’ve been working in the plasma physics lab at Bryn Mawr for about a year and a half now, so it seemed natural to continue working in the lab over the summer. The work I’m doing now will also become my senior thesis this coming year.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

We’re partnered with a plasma physics lab down at Swarthmore, and it’s been really fun getting to interact with the students in that lab. We meet up at least once a week, and it’s a great opportunity to share our work and give each other advice about how to proceed. It’s also been fun to interact with people outside of the Bryn Mawr community who are at the same stage in their physics career as I am.

What is most rewarding about your internship?

The most rewarding feeling is when I get a really complicated piece of code to work. The longer I spend on it, the better the feeling is when it finally runs.

A Postcard From: Huilei Wang ’18

Posted on by

Name: Huilei Wang
Class Year: 2018
Major: Linguistics and Mathematics
Hometown: Jinan, China

Internship Placement: Childhood Bilingualism Research Center, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Job Title: Research Assistant
Location: Hong Kong

What’s happening at your internship?

I am working at a lab doing corpus-based research on language acquisition and development of bilingual and multilingual children. A number of projects are going on, including an eye-tracking experiment on infants, data collection with several Mandarin-English bilingual kids in Hong Kong and some in the United States with Mandarin or Cantonese as their heritage language, and etc. I started with the basics — transcribing recordings of a Mandarin-Cantonese-English trilingual child into text. It was completely new and challenging to me at the beginning, but as I got familiar with symbols and rules used in transcription and discovered the kids’ cuteness in speaking, I found myself really enjoy this tedious but rewarding work. After that, I was involved in tagging morphological tiers to the transcription and some analyses of a syntactic structure that appeared in a Mandarin-English bilingual child. I also got the chance to observe the eye-tracking experiment, which is an eye-opening experience to me since I’ve only read about this kind of experiments in books.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I am interested in language acquisition and bilingualism and as a Mandarin and English speaker, I am especially curious about Mandarin-English bilinguals. This research center in Hong Kong, a multilingual city, is a pioneer in doing such studies around the world and also a perfect place for me learn more about my interest.

Living in a new city? What has that experience been like for you?

It is definitely not easy at the beginning. Looking for apartments, moving in, getting familiar with the city’s complex streets, and so on, are all undeniable challenges. But thanks to the help from my colleagues, roommates, and friends, I adapted to the life here in a very short time. And Hong Kong itself is a safe, diverse and tolerant city, with food and culture from all over the world. So I wasn’t troubled by any lack of belonging. At the same time, Hong Kong is also a place that offers you a lot of fun. Wandering around the old streets in Central by myself or riding bikes with friends along the seaside and the authentic street foods next door made me fall in love with this city.

Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?

It is hard to use only three adjectives to describe this experience, but the three that jumped out right away are enjoyable, rewarding, and inspiring.

Three nouns that I would choose are exploration, stories, and thinking.

A Postcard From: Rachel Terry ’18

Posted on by

Name: Rachel Terry
Class Year: 2018
Major: Math
Hometown: Cardiff, Calif.

Internship Placement: Faviana International
Job Title: Production Intern
Location: New York, New York

What’s happening at your internship?

Faviana International is a dress company that specializes in special occasion and prom dresses. I am learning all about the production life cycle as we prepare for a very important trade show in Atlanta, Georgia in August. The Production team works very closely with the Design team. On a daily basis, I am in charge of logging and photographing new samples and swatches when they arrive. I am also working on a demographic research project. I have taken inventory of the showroom, worked with purchase orders and shipments, helped out during a photo shoot, run errands at the fabric store, and attended company-wide and department meetings. I use Excel on a daily basis and am strengthening my skills.

I am working with the dresses a lot more than I expected, which is a nice surprise.

Why did you apply for this internship?

As a math major, I am interested in pursuing a business related career. Since there is a business side to any industry, I thought that it would be very interesting to experience the business side of the fashion industry. I am really enjoying it and still working towards that goal.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

I am truly enjoying my internship. Being part of the production process and this company as a whole has been a very enjoyable experience. The days go by very quickly, and the people are extremely friendly and helpful. The mission statement (to help women feel good and celebrate themselves) and core values (bring out the best, show genuine concern, eliminate drama, embrace evolution, inspire elegance) play a very important role in shaping the culture at Faviana which is an aspect that I really appreciate. Throughout the day, I am greeted by name by the other employees, which is a simple but thoughtful acknowledgement that I have noticed is lacking at Bryn Mawr.

Living in a new city? What has that experience been like for you?

Living in New York City has been wonderful! I am staying at the Webster Apartments on 34th Street, which is a residence for working women. It is similar to the dorms at Bryn Mawr and has given me the opportunity to make a lot of international friends. I now have a lot of girls to visit when I go to England, Holland, and France! With these new friends, I have done a lot of activities and visited many places that I never would have considered on my own. I am also appreciating the homework-free weekends!

A Postcard From: Zhoe Rub ’18

Posted on by

Name: Zhoe Rub
Class Year: 2018
Major: Biology
Hometown: Astoria, Ore.

Internship Placement: Oregon Health and Science University Biomedical Engineering Department
Job Title: Experiential Volunteer
Location: Oregon Health and Science University Center for Health and Healing, Portland, Ore.

What’s happening at your internship?

I am interning in a biomedical engineering lab. Over the past few weeks, I have learned how to prepare platelets from human blood for research experiments. Recently, I have been testing inhibitors on platelets to prevent platelet activation and looking at my results under a microscope. I have learned how to stain platelets for actin and myosin, which are both components of cells. I am currently preparing for an informal presentation of my research that I will present to my fellow interns. I have met a lot of amazing people through my internship. I really enjoy working with the researchers in the lab and working with my fellow interns.

Platelets stained for actin.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because I want to be a doctor and I was interested in gaining research experience. A friend of mine did her PhD work in the biomedical engineering lab that I applied to and she suggested the internship to me. I am honored to be able to work in the lab that I am interning in and I am very thankful for this opportunity.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

My favorite part of my internship has been preparing platelets for microscopy. Which is just a fancy way of saying that I prepare human platelets and put them on microscope slides to view. I then determine if the inhibitors that I am testing are working based on what I see under the microscope. I have also loved meeting and getting to know my fellow interns and the researchers in the lab. I really enjoy working with my coworkers and they have made my internship really great.

Living in a new city? What has that experience been like for you?

I have been living in Portland, Oregon. It has been a really interesting experience for me because I have never lived in a city before and Portland is about two hours away from my hometown. I am living with a really nice family on the edge of the city and I have had to figure out how to get to and from work using the bus and the Portland streetcar. At first, taking public transportation and shopping for myself was stressful, but now that I am used to everything I feel like this experience has made me a much more confident person.

A Postcard From: Elizabeth Robinson

Posted on by

Name: Elizabeth Robinson
Class Year: 2018
Major: Biology
Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.

Internship Placement: Centro de Informacion y Servicios de Asesoria en Salud (Center for Information and Health Services)
Job Title: Volunteer
Location: Managua, Nicaragua

What’s happening at your internship?

Currently, the Center is working towards a new campaign to make young people more aware of their rights — specifically, their sexual rights. For example, using groups of teenagers in the community, the Center is working to initiate a social media campaign to both provide easy access to knowledge about sexual rights and to garner support from other young people using platforms like Facebook online.

Why did you apply for this internship?

My reasons for applying to CISAS are three-fold. I wanted experience living abroad, experience immersed in another language (of which I am currently minoring at Bryn Mawr), and experience working with a nonprofit devoted to improving the health of community members. My concurrent study of biology and Spanish has created an interest in public health both internationally and domestically with Spanish-speaking populations.

Living in a new city? What has that experience been like for you?

Living in Managua, Nicaragua, has really opened my eyes to the ways in which other people live and has highlighted the differences between the ways in which people communicate and live in Nicaragua and in the United States. For example, the street on which I live with my host family is a very closely-knit community — doors are constantly open and people are constantly visiting each other and talking across the street. Children are always playing with each other and with pets in the street. My host sister has friends in practically every house on the street, too. This is opposed to the more private way of living in the United States with closed doors, more distance between neighbors, and acquaintance relationships rather than close friendships. Interestingly, almost every house on the street and in the neighborhood sells things. If something is needed, like a bus pass, often a close neighbor sells them. Information is often gathered by word-of-mouth.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?

The biggest challenge I have faced working with CISAS has been the language barrier. I have only worked here for one week so far, so I have lots of room to improve both speaking and listening to Spanish. It has been difficult to understand what the people I work with are saying in a conversational setting, and as a result, I often misunderstand simple questions that I could have understood if they were spoken slower of if they were written. However, I am already starting to “think” in Spanish! I am very excited to continue to improve and to hopefully leave Nicaragua with much more confidence speaking Spanish.

A Postcard From: Sydney Huff ’18

Posted on by

Name: Sydney Huff
Class Year: 2018
Major: Anthropology
Hometown: Steubenville. Ohio
Internship Placement: Grow Ohio Valley
Job Title: Farm Hand
Location: Wheeling, W.Va.

This is our site called Farm 18. It was an abandoned lot underneath an overpass.

Rainbow chard was the first crop I was able to harvest.

What’s happening at your internship?

Grow Ohio Valley is an organization that serves the residents of the Ohio Valley with local and organic produce. Our farm sites are located throughout East Wheeling, which is a more impoverished area of the city of Wheeling, West Virginia. I work more closely with the farmers, so we are out in the field every day preparing the ground or constructing beds for new plants, along with maintaining and harvesting other plants. We grow a variety of produce including melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, and raspberries. We planted an orchard this year with about 200 apple trees. The goal is to be able to supply residents throughout the Ohio Valley with locally grown apples within the next few years. Grow Ohio Valley sells some of their produce in a mobile market which travels to sites where residents, especially the elderly, are unable to leave their homes. Because it is a nonprofit organization, they accept and give double the value to food stamps and senior vouchers, although they would never turn someone away who is unable to afford any of their produce.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied to this internship because I live in the Ohio Valley and felt connected with Grow Ohio Valley’s mission when I heard about them. I am well aware of the issues of poverty and joblessness within my community, and I was thrilled to hear about an organization who is taking a hands-on approach to combatting food insecurity and inaccessibility within the Ohio Valley.

The group integrates with the community in order to assess and properly meet the needs of and to educate residents about the value of eating organic and local foods.

This pond is fed by a spring and is our water source for this site called the Meadow. It overlooks the Ohio River and the skyline of Wheeling.

What is most rewarding about your internship?

What’s most rewarding to me about this internship is knowing that I am bringing back agriculture and sustainable labor to my community. The Ohio Valley was a leader in industry until the deindustrialization period during the 1980s. I am proud to be serving my community in a manner that reflects the lives of our past family members who tirelessly worked to build their lives. Because of the current economic climate, many families within the Ohio Valley do not have jobs that allow them to afford produce, let alone organic produce. Grow Ohio Valley noticed this need within my community and also works tirelessly to revitalize the area with fruitful labor.

The first raspberry I picked.

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?

I am learning the basics of organic farming along with the ingenuity as to how to maximize space to yield the most nutritious produce that we can. I am interested in agriculture and can see myself holding a future within urban farming, so learning these skills is giving me the confidence to continue to find further interest within agriculture.

A Postcard From: Pía López ’18

Posted on by

Name: Pía López
Class Year: 2018
Major: Chemistry
Hometown: Mexico City

Internship Placement: Malachowski Lab
Job Title: Research intern
Location: Bryn Mawr College

What’s happening at your internship?

I’m working on the development of molecules that will potentially inhibit an enzyme called indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, which, when overexpressed by the body, may inhibit the immune system’s response to diseases such as cancer. My research will build upon work previously done in the Malachowski group, specifically the synthesis of O-alkylhydroxylamines. Once synthesized, these molecules will be tested on an isolated enzyme at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and then on a cellular system at Lankenau Institute of Medical Research.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I was excited to explore scientific research and the independence that it entails, as well as developing my skills as a scientist, academic, and professional.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?

The biggest challenge for me has been having to deal with how frustrating research inherently is. I have had to learn to be more patient and perseverant, as research is very rewarding if one is able to stick with it. Another very difficult challenge I have faced is to learn to trust myself and my abilities. I’ve often questioned and doubted my own skills when, for example, a reaction didn’t go as planned, to later find out that it wasn’t merely my fault, it was just a particularly difficult experiment. I’ve learned to be more confident in my skills and to trust myself more.

What is most rewarding about your internship?

Knowing that the success of my experiments is at least partly due to my skills and work after having to work out the kinks in each reaction and experiment!