Foundation’s First Remote Summer Internship Program a Success

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This summer, the Foundation accepted seven students and recent graduates to work remotely on a range of projects. With both technical and non-technical endeavors, interns worked on machine learning, Open Science policy, and treatment and technology research. Others worked with Foundation team members in the communications department and within the Foundation’s FUS Partners program.

The Foundation’s summer technical internships are generously funded by the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation. The Claude Moore Summer Internship Program of the Charles Steger Focused Ultrasound Internship Program is designed to foster interest in focused ultrasound technology among the next generation of researchers.

Despite not working in the office this summer, Foundation interns were still able to gain a thorough understanding of the technology and the Foundation. To supplement their experience, the Foundation’s Director of Extramural Research, Matt Eames, PhD, coordinated a Zoom lecture series focusing on the different facets of focused ultrasound. At the close of the summer, the technical interns were invited to present their projects and findings as part of a virtual showcase for Foundation staff and invited guests.

“This year’s internship program was successfully adapted to provide educational content for and produce meaningful results from each intern as we worked within state and federal COVID-19 guidelines,” said Dr. Eames. “Recurring ‘lab meetings’ were held virtually, with ad-hoc Zoom meetings held as needed in lieu of being able to walk down the hall to ask questions. In addition to ample pre-recorded webinar and course materials, our in-house science staff and collaborating researchers provided eight live zoom lectures on focused ultrasound topics relevant to this summer’s intern projects. The live presentations were a great opportunity for interns to ask questions and interact with staff and leading researchers around the world.”

“Being a Foundation intern this summer was an excellent combination of contribution and education,” said Charlie Manning, a recent graduate of the College of William and Mary. “Being brand new to the field, I spent a significant portion of my time learning. Importantly for me, this education was paired with ample opportunity to contribute and produce work as well.”

We want to thank one of our 2020 interns, Annabel Taylor, for compiling overviews of her fellow interns’ experiences at the Foundation this summer.

Click on each intern below to read a summary of their project and learn about their experience:  

2020 Intern John Carlini squareJon Carlini
University of Virginia Darden School of Business
FUS Partners

2020 Intern Yisha He squareYisha He
University of Virginia
Testing the Treatment Effect of Focused Ultrasound on Enhancing Host Antitumor Immune Response

2020 Intern Charlie Manning squareCharlie Manning
College of William and Mary
Focused Ultrasound and Open Science

2020 Intern Jack Snell squareJohn “Jack” Snell
Piedmont Virginia Community College
Blood-Brain Barrier Opening Virtual Reality Simulation Project

2020 Intern Juliette Strubel squareJuliette Strubel
University of Exeter, UK
Blood-Brain Barrier Opening for Drug Delivery

2020 Intern Annabel Taylor squareAnnabel Taylor
University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce
Communications and Social Media Growth

2020 Intern Erin Wettstone squareErin Wettstone
University of Virginia
Low-cost Hydrophone System and Treatment System for Pancreatic Cancer and Preclinical Trials