Key Points
- The ACCESS FUS internship provides educational and research opportunities to undergraduate students from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds.
- The Foundation’s goal is to help create a focused ultrasound community that is more diverse and inclusive and create career paths for those who would not otherwise have the opportunity.
- The deadline to apply for the internship is April 15, 2023.
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation is a unique medical research, education, and advocacy organization created as the catalyst to accelerate the development and adoption of focused ultrasound. Based in Charlottesville, VA, but with a global reach, the Foundation is a nonprofit, high-performance, entrepreneurial, service organization that is market-driven and results-oriented.
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation launched the ACCESS FUS Scholars Initiative to provide educational and research opportunities to undergraduate and early-career scholars from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds. The goal of the program is to create career paths for those who would not otherwise have the opportunity.
As part of its mission to cultivate the next generation of focused ultrasound leaders, the Foundation recognizes that disparities created by gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status limit the opportunities of many young people to advance in our field. ACCESS FUS aims to help create a focused ultrasound community that is more diverse and inclusive, ensuring the best and brightest choose careers in focused ultrasound and thereby strengthen the entire field.
The ACCESS FUS internship will enable highly motivated students to join the Foundation for full-time work for 6 to 12 weeks during the summer at the Foundation headquarters in Charlottesville, VA. This is a paid internship, and the Foundation will also provide a stipend to cover travel to and from Charlottesville and housing during the internship.
Applicants from groups that have been historically underrepresented or excluded in the biomedical workforce – including but not limited to racial and ethnic groups, the LGBTQ+ community, individuals with mental or physical disabilities, and those from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds – are especially encouraged to apply.
Position Description
Summary
The Foundation is seeking undergraduate students to participate in focused ultrasound research activities. The preference is rising third or fourth year students who can work full time in the summer in Charlottesville, VA. This opportunity is appropriate for students majoring in any engineering or science discipline with an interest in medical technology, emerging medical treatments, or the mission and operation of medical research, education, and advocacy organizations.
Responsibilities
Positions are built around specific needs, still being defined for this summer, but examples of recent projects include the following:
- Design and implementation of a small animal focused ultrasound research system involving mechanical design, 3D printing, and the debugging of Matlab graphical user interface for system control.
- Research and analysis to aid FUSF scientific and medical teams, including conducting online research, authoring sections of the FUSF web page, and updating presentations and other material on the topic of focused ultrasound.
- Compare open-source and commercially available ultrasound computer simulations, including CIVA, K-Wave, Field II, FDA simulation.
- Conduct geography-specific market analysis to aid in patient and clinician outreach.
- Provide identification, updates, and strategy for disease-specific foundation co-funding of focused ultrasound clinical trials.
- Assist in drafting or conducting background research for peer-reviewed scientific articles or whitepapers
Skills: We look for candidates with strong written communication skills who are competent with word processing and spreadsheet tools. Background in engineering, physics, computer science, or life science is desirable.
Experience: Interns will gain experience in medical devices, animal research, or software.
Abilities: Strong applicants should be proactive; accept responsibility; organized; and have good people skills.
Other: Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States and be over 18 years old.
How to Apply
To ensure consideration, please send a cover letter and resume (as PDF) to jfoley@fusfoundation.org by April 15, 2023.
Questions about the program can be directed to Jessica Foley, PhD, at jfoley@fusfoundation.org.