Biology Internships FAQ'S

Biology internships at BYU-Idaho, although not required, are strongly encouraged, especially for students interested in continuing their education in hopes of going to medical or dental school. This page and the others that follow are designed to assist you in some of the questions you might have as you begin your search.

 

              WHEN . . . should I begin searching for an internship?

 

1. • EARLY! Many internships are funded by federal organizations like the National Institute of Health or Dept. of Energy. They often require you to begin applying several months in advance, which means you should begin preparing several months in advance. It is typical for them to ask for letters of reference and résumé's. It would be wise for you to go online to the places you would like to apply and see what material they require and begin gathering that material well in advance of deadlines.

1. • The Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) administered by the Dept. of Energy has a period of time you can apply, and a period in which mentors select applicants. Those two periods overlap, which means the sooner you apply within that period, the better chance of being selected. If you wait until the end, you risk that many if not all selections have already been made.

1. • INBRE internships administered by the University of Idaho have a pre-application period between Nov. 1 and Dec. 1. An additional 15 INBRE internships are administered by BYU-Idaho and the deadline is typically in early March. Eleven internships occur during the summer semester, two in each fall and winter semesters.

  

 

       WHERE . . . can I apply for an internship?

 

1. • Remember that in all cases, it is the student's responsibility to find his or her own internship. However, faculty and the college internship and career services coordinator are good resources to discuss available internships. Listed below is a partial sampling of popular locations for biology internships.

 

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)

www.rit.edu/~gtfsbi/symp/summer.htm

 

National Institute of Health

www.training.nih.gov/student/index.asp

 

The Leadership Alliance

http://www.theleadershipalliance.org/

 

National Science Foundation (NSF)

http://www.nsf.gov/

 

Department of Energy National Laboratories (SULI)

www.scied.science.doe.gov/scied/sci_ed.htm

 

Idaho National Laboratory

www.inl.gov/education

  

While this list is by no means comprehensive, it will give you a start on some of the more common internships locations. In addition, many universities and each of the 11 DOE national laboratories offer internships separate from the funding available at the above Web sites.

 

                 HOW . . . do I apply?

 

In most cases you will be required to fill out an application and attach your resume to the application. It is also likely that you will be asked to provide letters of recommendation. It is wise for you to secure the letters well in advance. Many of those that you wish to write letters for you, such as faculty members, are busy and may be asked by many students to write letters. Be courteous of others time and begin early.

        When you complete your application, make sure you keep copies of everything you submit - you may need the same information for a later application and this will prevent you from looking some information up more than once. Please note that in many circumstances it may not be possible to keep letters of recommendation due to the need for confidentiality between faculty members and the requesting institution.

 

                 WHAT . . . . do I say in my application?

 

Mentors and Principle Investigators (PI's) are interested in students who are interested in the research they're doing. Where possible, research the work these individuals are doing and be able to intelligently converse with them about their work. It may not always be research that you are hoping to continue to pursue or find extremely exciting, however, be open to new and innovative research that you feel you might be able to contribute your talents and efforts to, for the overall goals and objectives of the work.

 

                 WHO . . . do I contact?

 

When searching the internet for internships, search for the names of those conducting the actual research. While it may be difficult to talk to those people directly, a brief conversation via email is second only to a face-to-face interview. Be prepared to talk about their research and why you would like to assist them in their work. Once the conversation is started, you then have the opportunity to politely ask them to review your application and resume, and give input as to your hire ability and ways you might improve your application. If there is no position currently available, or if the position is already filled, inquire as to other principle investigators or mentors that might be looking to fill internships in the same area of expertise.