Current Tufts student Otto Laakso shared the following about being a Research Intern at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology …
What did you do as an intern at this organization?
As a research intern, my job was to study the applications of liposomes as drug delivery systems under the supervision of Dr. Avi Schroeder in the Laboratory for Targeted Drug Delivery and Personalized Medicine Technologies. During my internship, I designed and carried out a set of 54 experiments to develop an improved understanding of a selection of mechanical parameters impacting the properties of liposomes as drug delivery nanoparticles. My experiments were then used as a part of a training dataset for a machine learning algorithm predicting effective encapsulation of drugs inside liposomes.
How did you find this internship?
One of my friends at Tufts was familiar with Technion as an institution and recommended looking into their research programs. After finding out about Dr. Schroeder’s research in personalized cancer treatments, I reached out to him via email and asked about the opportunity to join his laboratory for the duration of the summer. After some follow-up emails and a Zoom interview, I was invited to Technion as a visiting research student.
What did you enjoy most about your internship?
My favorite thing about the internship was the variety of projects I got to be involved with. Working as a part of an international research group allowed me to gain a lot of exposure to the nuances of scientific research and provided the opportunity to learn from dozens of established scientists with diverse backgrounds. From my very first day in the lab, I was also encouraged to spend as much time as possible exploring Israel outside of work, which truly enriched by experience.
What did you find challenging?
Where the internship offered plenty of freedom to collaborate with researchers across disciplines and projects, it also challenged me to proactively come up with projects of my own. Upon my arrival, I was immediately introduced to a self-driven and entrepreneurial culture where all lab members pursued their goals with passion – it was up to me to set up meetings with them and find out the best ways I could contribute.
What advice would you offer to someone who wants to make the most of an internship like yours?
Boldly reaching out to people can get you surprisingly far – don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone in a way that could initially seem irrational. Tolerating risk can lead to incredible experiences, and college is the best time to jump into the unknown.
About the Organization
Technion Israel Institute of Technology
