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Summer internships 2012

July  19, 2012

A look inside the Augustana internship experience

In addition to the five local interns featured in the above video, below are short profiles of five interns from around the state, the country and the globe. These are only a sampling of nearly 200 Augustana students interning this summer.

Diana Boudreau

Year: Junior
Major: Geology
Hometown: Edwards, Ill.
Internship: Field Museum, Chicago
In her words: “My mentor at the museum is an Augie grad, Nate Smith. Both Nate and Dr. Bill Hammer are my advisers on a project studying osteohistology (bone microstructures) of Cryolophosaurus ellioti, Augie's resident dinosaur. I’m seeking to understand tempo and mode of growth in a large-bodied polar dinosaur. I'm basically going to be looking at thin sections of Cryolophosaurus and identifying structures that indicated growth such as lag lines or bone cells.
“During my time at the museum I'm also learning basic lab skills, curatorial management, and taking a course in phylogeny offered to interns at the museum. So not only does this internship allow me to conduct my own research, but also allows me to build up basic skills and establish relationships with peers in my field.”

Joe Bright

Year: Senior
Major: Political Science, International Business
Hometown: Erie, Ill.
Internship: Project Vote Smart, Montana
In his words: “I am currently interning at the national headquarters in the mountains near Philipsburg, Montana. The facility is actually a ranch that sits nestled in between mountains and next to a small, crystal clear lake. I was assigned to work in the ratings department formatting special interest group ratings of state legislators. This information, once formatted, is uploaded onto the website for the public to see. It wasn’t long before we ran out of special interest groups, however, so I am now compiling information for candidate biographies.
“Part of our internship includes outdoor work around the ranch, which is often a welcome relief from spreadsheets and data entry. Project Vote Smart remains strictly non-partisan in its analysis and compilation of data. It relies almost entirely on private donations and money from other non-profit, non-partisan organizations.”

Christina Wika

Year: Senior
Major: Biology, Pre-medicine
Hometown: Hollow, Ill.
Internship: Radiologist shadow, Germany
In her words: “My internship gave me the opportunity to learn the entire health system in Germany as well as learning the German and Latin medical language. I interned at a radiology practice, general practitioner, surgery and internal medicine from May 29-June 29.. The first week of my internship I was at Dr. Martin Krüger's practice, Radiologie in Bocholt, Germany. Not only did I learn medical basics and the daily routine, I learned how pictures from magnetic fields, X-rays and nuclar substances were produced and how to read the pictures and locate any problems (such as tumors or fractures).
“For two weeks, I interned in general surgery with Dr. Überrück. Not only did I learn the daily routine of a surgeon, I was able to observe and help out with the operations. From this experience, I know that I still want to continue to pursue a career in the medical field and possibly do something with children surgery.”

Alicia Oken

Year: Senior
Major: Political Science, Communication Studies, Multimedia Journalism Mass Communication
Hometown: Naperville, Ill.
Internship: WGN Radio, Chicago
In her words: “This summer, I am interning at WGN Radio for the news department. Although the news varies day to day, I typically do the same tasks. My main job is to write news stories and gather and cut up audio. In the mid afternoon, I record the news from WGN TV, writing down the names of those who were interviewed. Once I have recorded the news, I cut up the audio, making sound bites that are used in news stories. When needed, I also do 'man on the street' interviews and record the meteorologists.
“This internship has helped show me how a newsroom at a radio station runs. I've also learned how to use different software programs that will put me at a competitive advantage when I start looking for jobs.”

Zheng Huangyuying

Year: Senior
Majors: Geography, Art, Graphic Design
Hometown: Chengdu, China
Internship: Chengdu University of Technology
In her words: “I am working as a teaching assistant in the art department within School of Radio, Film and Television. I was assigned to an art professor and help the professor with easy lectures, grading, critiquing small assignments and helping students. After roll call, I will either give a simple lecture that the professor asks me to present for the student or I will be in the class as a normal student learning from the professor. After class, the professor may ask me to help grade or critique students’ work.
“As an art student who wishes to become a professor in the future, this program will help me understand more about what my future jobs may look like and what I need to improve more in art. Through this experience, I hope to learn more about being an art professor and how they prepare for their classes.”