Tremendous academic growth and rich learning opportunities have helped Biology interns take their skills to the next level. Elegilble internships may be available through the following partners:
The program targets Biology Majors interested in expanding their knowledge of Biotechnology, Genetic Engineering, and Molecular and Cellular Biology. Internships provide valuable experiences to any student interested in pursuing future studies in the field of Biology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, or Medicine.
Due to the technical nature of the internship, a good conceptual understanding of Cellular and Molecular Biology is strongly recommended. Students interested in the program should have completed BIO 181 and BIO 247 before starting the internship. Even though internships are typically summer long experiences, students interested in a semester long internship can do it by enrolling in BIO 249, "Applied Biosciences: Biotechnology Internship."
Meet some of the former students from Phoenix College who have helped shape their future with a Biology internship. Learn about their research projects and academic accomplishments. (TIP: Click the picture for a larger photo.)
Milen Vitanov, B.S. Summer Intern 2005, TGen
Milen Vitanov was the first Phoenix College Biology Major selected for a summer internship at the Translational Genomics Institute (TGen) in the summer of 2005. He joined the lab of Dr. David Duggan where he conducted a project on diabetes that was centered on identifying genes whose expression profile is different between affected and unaffected population sets. The study was focused on the Pima Native-American population.
Milen Vitanov - a native of Sofia (Bulgaria) - completed his Bachelor of Science at Arizona State University West in 2007 with a concentration in Cell Biology and Physiology. He is currently working as a research technician in Dr. Jurutka's lab, Life Sciences, ASU West, in preparation for attending Dental School in 2008.
John Dy, B.S., M.B.A Summer Intern 2006, TGen
John Dy was selected for a summer internship at the Translational Genomics Institute (TGen) in the summer of 2006. He joined the lab of Dr. John Carpten where he screened for mutations in the CHUCK (conserved-helix-loop-helix ubiquitous kinase) gene on ovarian cancer tissue samples. CHUCK - a gene potentially implicated in ovarian and pancreatic cancer - is activated by stress and involved in the nuclear import pathway of cytokines and chemokines, proteins that mediate and regulate immunity, inflamation, ad the production of blood cells (hematopoiesis).
John Dy - a baccalaureate in Computer Sciences and Master in Business and Administration - completed pre-Pharmacy requisites at Phoenix College in 2007. He works as a Certified Pharmacy Technician in retail pharmacy and plans on starting Pharmacy School in 2008.
Adela Solis Summer Intern 2006, TGen
Adela Solis was selected for a summer internship at the Translational Genomics Institute (TGen) in the summer of 2006. She joined the lab of Dr. John Carpten where she screened for mutations in the CHUCK (conserved-helix-loop-helix ubiquitous kinase) gene on pancreatic cancer tissue samples. CHUCK - a gene potentially implicated in pancreatic cancer - is activated by stress and involved in the nuclear import pathway of cytokines and chemokines, proteins that mediate and regulate immunity, inflamation, ad the production of blood cells (hematopoiesis).
Adela Solis will complete her AA degree in the Summer of 2008. She works as a Certified Pharmacy Technician at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, a position that she has been holding since 2005, and to which she accessed first as a volunteer, and later as an associate. She will attend Pharmacy School in the Fall of 2008.
Valezka Ponce Summer Intern 2007 University of Arizona College of Medicine, Arizona Respiratory Center (Tucson).
Valezka Ponce was selected for an Arizona Biology Network (ABN) Program summer internship at The University of Arizona College of Medicine (Tucson) in the summer of 2007. She joined the efforts of Prof. Fernando Martinez' (Arizona Respiratory Center) lab in the search of genes responsible for certain respiratory malfunctions in children. She tested a particular gene, CYP2J2, which has been speculated to be involved with the later onset of asthma in children. Her research proved that the gene had no significant association with the development of child asthma.
Valezka Ponce's summer project was awarded the first place among all of the ABN summer 2007 interns' research projects during an event held at the College of Medicine by the end of July 2007. Ponce will refine her experiments during the Spring of 2008 in preparation for publication.
Valezka Ponce - a native of Mexico - transferred to ASU in the Fall of 2007. She is completing her bachelor's degree in Molecular Biosciences & Biotechnology. She plans to attend Medical School and become a doctor.
Aimee Uwimana Summer Intern 2007
University of Arizona College of Medicine, Pharmacology and Anesthesiology Department (Tucson).
Aimee Uwimana was selected for an Arizona Biology Network (ABN) Program summer internship at The University of Arizona College of Medicine (Tucson) in the summer of 2007. She joined the lab of Prof. Todd Vanderah and the group's research efforts in elucidating the dynamics of neuronal plasticity — the ability of neurons to change in response to new stimuli — under conditions of acute and chronic pain. Her summer project consisted in testing and analyzing the effect that several drugs have on pain. Previously, Aimee successfully completed an internship in Prof. Vanderah's group during the summer of 2005 as a National Institutes of Health High School Student Medical Researcher, and presented her results at the Society for Neurosciences Meeting in 2005.
Aimee Uwimana- a native of Rwanda- is a sophomore at Phoenix College majoring in Biology. Her goal is to attend Medical School and become a doctor.
George Vo Spring Intern 2008
The Biodesign Institute, Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccinology, Arizona State University (Tempe).
George Vo has been selected for a semester long internship at the Biodesign Institute Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccinology at ASU (Tempe), a center that leads a worldwide effort to tame Salmonella - a bacterium that is the leading cause of food poisoning - making it harmless and using it to treat a wide array of infectious diseases.
The group's efforts are centered on the understanding of basic viral and bacterial infectious disease processes, and on the design and use of vaccines and protein therapeutics to combat infectious diseases such as pneumonia, hepatitis, tuberculosis, plague and human avian flu, among several others. Under the direction of Mehla Mellata, Vo will be producing a vaccine against E. coli by using Salmonella; he will isolate virulence factors of different strands of E. coli and then insert them into Salmonella to test their effects.
George Vo transferred to ASU in the Fall of 2007. He is a junior in the Molecular Biosciences & Biotechnology program at ASU. He plans to attend Graduate or Medical School.
