105 Jordan Hall of Science was packed with mostly underclassmen for the Undergraduate Research Internship Information Night (UGRIIN) on November 4. Eager to learn about the research opportunities available to them, the science students attended the event which was co-sponsored by the College of Science and the Notre Dame Biology Club. After an introduction by Professor T. Mark Olsen, attendees listened to presentations by Laura Flynn of the Career Center and five Notre Dame students who have participated in a variety of different research projects.
Senior biology major Erika Tomei shared information about finding and applying for internships and described her experience as an intern at Johnson & Johnson. Senior Greg Podolej, also a biology major, talked about his experiences at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Senior biology/Spanish double major Andrew Huffman shared his experiences interning at the University of Kansas Medical Center in the Department of Anesthesiology. Like all of the presenters, Huffman emphasized the importance of networking to finding an internship.
Next to present was another senior biology major, Concerta Holley. She participated in a GLOBES (Global Linkages of Biology, the Environment, and Society) REU through Notre Dame. For those students interested in medical school, or especially in M.D./Ph.D. programs, Lindsay Morris, a junior biology major, spoke on her positive experience in the Undergraduate Clinical Research Internship Program at Vanderbilt. Following the presentations was a question and answer session moderated by sophomore biology major and UGRIIN emcee Melissa Truitt. The successful event will almost certainly reflect large numbers of Notre Dame undergraduates involved in research in the coming year.