Past Internships | Saturday Academy

Find out more about the type of internships our ASE program provides in Oregon and SW Washington.

Each ASE internship is designed by the Mentor (or Mentor Group) supervising the intern. This means that even though most mentors return from one year to the next, internships change significantly from year to year. The positions below are examples of past summer internships by discipline. We offer these as a guide for what effective position descriptions can look like. If you’re considering becoming a mentor and would like help designing a position, we look forward to talking with you. If you’re a student applying to an ASE Internship, please recognize that these internships might not be available in the coming year. Starting in November, we post internships as they become available, so keep your eye on the ASE student pages to stay informed!

Biology

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The Mentor’s laboratory at the University of Oregon seeks to understand the physical elements of the biological systems’ underlying structure and dynamics. The Lab has a position available for a student interested in exploring the behavior of bacteria, using the tools and methods of physics. The research group looks at how bacterial communities assemble, compete, and survive, by building new sorts of microscopes and developing new computational algorithms to extract information from images. One of the main targets is the “microbiota” of the gut. You, like all animals, are home to trillions of microbes, mostly resident in the digestive tract. Using microscopy and other tools, the mentor’s team is illuminating how this ecosystem works. The lab has a position for a student with an interest in “tinkering,” building devices to control fluids and optics to visualize bacteria inside them, and also an interest in learning about computer programming.

This mentor’s research at Oregon State University focuses on diseases of salmon and trout caused by myxozoan parasites, parasites with complex life cycles. Researchers in this lab investigate topics ranging from the basic biology of the parasite to how human-influenced environmental changes affect disease severity in fish. The ultimate goal of this research is to discover ways to decrease disease problems in wild salmon populations and predict where problems are most likely to occur. The intern selected for this position might be involved in one or more projects. Specific tasks might include maintaining cultures of fish or polychaetes (worms), sorting benthic samples, and analyzing water samples using molecular methods (DNA extraction, PCR). Depending on the research topic, the student may need to be approved for handling fish. The intern may need to be physically able to do field work and will likely participate in overnight trips for field work.

Problems associated with the excessive use of alcohol and other addictive drugs have a huge negative impact on the user and society. Twin, family and adoption studies have shown that there are both genetic and environmental factors that increase risk for developing problems with the use of alcohol and other addictive drugs. Animals, like mice, are used to study specific genes and mechanisms that might be important because we can control their drug exposure and can also influence their genetics. We use mice that are bred to show high and low levels of drug intake and sensitivity in our research to identify genes that are important in risk for drug abuse. We study relevant behaviors and examine the ability of possible treatment drugs to alter drug-related behaviors that might lead to greater drug use. In addition to acute drug effects, we are interested in responses to repeated drug treatments and to factors that affect relapse to drug use. Identification of important genes and sorting out exactly how they increase risk for drug problems will help in the development of therapeutic interventions. Activities that the intern might perform using mice include measuring alcohol or methamphetamine preference drinking; measuring locomotor responses to drugs of abuse and the ability to block those responses with potential treatment drugs; measuring other behavioral responses to drugs such as changes in anxiety, coordination, sedation, aversion and reward. Some involvement in molecular methods like genotyping is also possible.

Chemistry

Desulfurization of Petroleum Fuels
Formulation and Process Development of Pharmaceuticals

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When sulfur-containing fuels are burned, they create numerous negative health and environmental effects. For that reason, chemists have developed methods for removing sulfur from petroleum. However, the amount of sulfur allowed in fuels by law is continually being decreased, and creative new reactions are required to achieve newly-mandated sulfur levels. The Tyler lab is using an innovative new device called a film-shear reactor to carry out the desulfurization of fuel. A film-shear reactor is a device with a rotating disk, called a rotor, placed at about 50 microns from a stationary disk. The rotor spins at speeds up to 10,000 rpm, and two solution streams containing the reactants are introduced between the two disks. The high speed of the rotor subjects the reactant solutions to exceptionally high shear rates, which thoroughly mix the reactants so that they react orders of magnitude more quickly than is possible in conventional reactors. The intern will study the oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of sulfur contaminants in petroleum using the film-shear reactor. Our preliminary results show that oxidative desulfurization in the film-shear reactor occurs orders of magnitude faster than under conventional conditions. The student’s project will be to optimize the ODS process in the reactor, identify the oxidation products, and determine what types of sulfur impurities can be removed using this method. Applicants should possess a strong desire to pursue a career in science or engineering.

Bend Research (a division of Capsugel DFS) applies fundamental science and engineering principals to difficult problems in the pharmaceutical and health care fields. For more than 30 years, Bend Research has worked with clients to solve difficult scientific and technical problems, advancing new medicines that improve human health. Bend Research develops formulations and solid dosage forms, assists in process development and optimization, and manufactures clinical-trial quantities of drug candidates in its GMP facilities, advancing promising drug candidates from conception through commercialization. It is a leader in novel formulations, including solubilization technologies, controlled-release, inhalation, and biotherapeutics. Bend Research is looking for motivated interns that are interested in chemistry or chemical engineering to be part of a team to develop and/or scale up pharmaceutical formulations. Interns may participate in manufacturing of formulations, characterization of solution properties (viscosity, surface tension) or solid properties (particle size, morphology, thermal properties) and/or determination of performance (dissolution rate, solubility). All interns will record their data and observations in a laboratory notebook and prepare data summary reports.

Computer Science

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Capture-the-Flag (CTF) games have been used for decades as a fun way to train security practitioners. Recently, Portland State University has been incorporating metamorphic CTF challenges in its curriculum. In this internship, students will learn how malware works in order to solve a series of CTF challenges related to malware. They will then develop their own metamorphic CTF challenges based on the techniques they have learned. By the end of the summer, students will have learned many of the techniques used in malware and the tools used to identify and circumvent them (IDA Pro, OllyDbg). By mastering these concepts and skills, students will then be able to participate in high-school CTF competitions. Prior programming experience in C recommended.

Digimarc is a Portland-based company with deep roots in the community and a rich history of innovation and technical leadership in the area of media identification and management of all forms of digital and print media. The intern selected for this position will work closely with the product management and research team to help prototype and test iPhone and Android applications that enable users to learn about the media and objects around them. Through the use of sensors such as cameras and microphones, the team is introducing technologies allowing mobile devices to read digital watermarks present in music, newspapers and magazines. As a member of the team, the intern will work closely with Digimarc’s Chief Technology Officer and the product management team to assist in the identification and creation of software prototypes and demonstration material for usability studies and marketing initiatives. Desirable experience includes familiarity with mobile devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, Motorola DROID, etc), Social Networking sites (Facebook, MySpace, etc), multimedia tools (iTunes, etc) and websites such as YouTube. Exposure to or familiarity with software development processes and tools would be helpful.

For over ten years, Kryptiq has created healthcare communications software that enhances connectivity among patients, providers, and pharmacies. We strive to bring intelligent, engaging, and collaborative healthcare solutions to life, and have consistently appeared on the Portland Business Journal’s list of Oregon’s Most Admired Technology Companies. The intern will join with the Patient Relationship Management Team, which focuses on the next generation of outreach tools for healthcare organizations and patients. Our goal is to improve patient engagement, disease management, preventive care access, and patient health using software tools that make patient outreach better, more measurable, and directly related to quality of care. The student will have the opportunity to learn about and participate in a full cycle agile software development process, including the creation of APIs, services, databases, web sites, analytics, and mobile applications running on the Microsoft Azure platform. Our current primary development takes place using the Microsoft .NET Framework using C#, but we may also use scripting languages, mobile platforms, and other operating systems and frameworks, ultimately deploying whatever technology can accomplish our goals most efficiently and effectively.

Engineering

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Hewlett Packard is the market leader of inkjet printer manufacturers. The Corvallis OR HP site is a design center for many of the ink jet print cartridges sold today. Our mission is to deliver the technology to create the best quality image and printing experience to the customer. The recently announced Officejet Pro X (see links below) was partly designed in Corvallis and is an example of the quality and performance as well as technical capability of the designers at this site. The R&D group is chartered with the development of a next generation print cartridges like the Officejet Pro X. At this site there is a semiconductor fab, numerous MEMS proto packaging lines; it is one of the best equipped analytical labs on the west coast. The intern chosen will have the opportunity to use some of these facilities and work with a highly motivated group of engineers and scientists covering disciplines of physics, chemistry, engineers (mechanical, electrical, civil, industrial, chemical, etc.), computer scientists, technicians and operators with every degree from high school diplomas to PhD degrees that work together in cross disciplinary teams to create some of the most complex MEMS devices on the market. The intern will help to design test tools and use those tools to test HP’s next-generation print cartridge. Ink jet print cartridges provide many functions, each of which must be tested and verified. Many of these functions required custom tools and fixtures in order to test and evaluate them. Relevant disciplines: Mechanical Design, Computer Aided Design. The project will involve: Evaluating requirements for testing a particular function of the print bar in question; developing simple fixtures for testing; evaluating project results; summarizing the data and writing report using MS Word and Power point; presenting reports and conclusions. There is a lot going on in the group; depending on skills, it is possible to adjust jobs to suit interests. Successful applicants will likely have some experience with CAD (or at least a strong interest), working knowledge of MS Excel and Power Point expected, creativity, attention to detail for accurate data recording, and careful test preparation. Some coursework in physics, math or other physical science helpful but not required. Technical discipline mostly matches mechanical design engineering, but you will be working with engineers and scientists of many technical disciplines. Student will be required to follow standard HP safety and regulatory rules. Preference is for a junior but mature sophomore would be considered.

Products that use light emitting diode (LED) technology offer an opportunity to greatly improve efficiency in lighting products. However, one current limitation of current LED lamps is their inefficiency in heat transfer; over time, their high temperatures degrade performance. Most lamp manufacturers ameliorate this issue by building large, aluminum heat sinks. Both the heat sink itself and the upstream manufacturing of the aluminum pose an ecological concern. This presents an opportunity for our research at University of Portland, which focuses on improving LED thermal performance, reducing the size of the heat sinks, implementing cutting edge modeling techniques, and educating the lighting industry about thermal design. The intern will join the mentor’s team in projects that address energy problems through advanced heat transfer or thermodynamics techniques, including improving heat transfer in energy efficient lighting, modeling chaotic heat transfer for energy applications, and improving energy efficiency in buildings. The intern will assist with thermocouple calibration and construction, running experimental lighting product tests, taking thermal photographs of lighting products, photographs analysis, and thermocouple placement. Interns must wear closed toed shoes in the laboratory.

The goals of the Robotics and Human Control Systems Lab at Oregon State University are: 1) To improve robots’ capacity to operate robustly in environments that are not specifically designed to accommodate them, and 2) to develop a deeper understanding of the human body’s own neural control and biomechanics. This project works toward those goals by learning from humans through human-robot interfaces to understand robotic grasping and manipulation capability. As the human uses the interface to perform tasks with the robot, the interface collects information on the human’s choices for grasping and manipulation. Our Lab uses that data to derive insight into the human method for performing various tasks. The intern will support the Lab’s work through three primary avenues: Conducting new human-robot interaction experiments to explore humans’ ability to perform robotic grasping tasks, analyzing human and robot performance data, and incorporating human methods into autonomous robotic grasping and manipulation algorithms. Successful applicants are likely to have experience and/or interest in programming, conducting experiments with robots and people, data analysis.

Health & Medical Science

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Neural stem cells from the adult brain can repair damage to the nervous system following strokes, multiple sclerosis attacks, and traumatic injury. However, these stem cells often fail to differentiate into the appropriate types of cells in injury environments. This project will focus on testing ways to improve neural stem cell survival and differentiation with the goal of testing how modifying neural stem cells can lead to better potential therapies for neurological diseases. The student in this position will use a combination of primary neural stem cell culture, immunocytochemistry and biochemical techniques. The lab is located at the Oregon National Primate Research Center in the Division of Neuroscience. We perform basic and translational research aimed at identifying ways to treat human diseases.

The intern will contribute to an Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) gene therapy research project by manipulating a safe virus to develop novel therapeutics. Gene therapy is a promising approach to treat various inherited and acquired human diseases that are difficult to treat with conventional therapies. A wide variety of viruses have been used as gene delivery vectors. Of these, adeno-associated virus (AAV) shows particular promise due to its non-pathogenic nature. The mentor’s laboratory studies the biology of AAV, engineering it to develop new gene therapy approaches for targeting human diseases. The intern will participate in ongoing gene therapy research projects: Molecular engineering of viral genome and coat proteins to create new AAV vectors with the most desirable biological properties in each clinical application. In addition to learning and applying basic and advanced molecular biology, students will contribute to the production of gene therapy viral vectors and assessment of the vectors in cultured cells and experimental animals. Students will also have the opportunity to learn computer programming, and bioinformatics/biostatistical concepts that allow them to handle and analyze a large quantity of data generated by wet lab experiments. Applicants should have completed coursework in biology and have a strong interest in biomedicine.

The Portland VA Medical Center is a level 1-A medical facility serving Veterans in Oregon and SW Washington. VA Nurses spend a great deal of time documenting all of the required elements of the care they provide. Many of these elements are mandated by safety centers and accreditation bodies. Other elements are important to ‘tell the story’ about the patient necessary to ensure adequate communication between members of the health care team. There are few studies that shed light on just how much time nurses spend or how this time affects patient care and nurse satisfaction. The intern in this position will help design a study to look at nursing documentation, help collect the data, analyze it, then present the findings to nursing headship. The intern will spend time observing the mentor in her role as a nurse informaticist in the Intensive Care Unit. The intern will learn about electronic health records, bar code medication software, clinical information systems, local and national nursing and patient data bases, system management, and general critical care culture. Successful applicants will be highly interested in exploring a profession in nursing, and skilled in the use of Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and Word.