Name: Ae Lim Yang

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Position Title: Undergraduate Researcher

Major(s)/Minor(s): Biochemistry and Molecular Biology B.S.

Expected Graduation Year: 2017

Briefly describe your internship, co-op,  or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

We study Human Immunodeficiency Virus in our lab to better understand the structural biology of the virus. My group primarily focuses on the Dimerization Initiation Site of HIV and its role in its dimerization mechanism. My responsibilities included gel electrophoresis, making RNA, and gathering the data in powerpoint form.

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I was looking for a research position during freshman year and looked up all the professors at UMBC. I found Dr. Summers and I was intrigued by the HIV research that he did so I emailed him to ask for a research position. After meeting with him, he offered me a position and there began my journey! It’ll be my third year this summer. 

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

I think I enjoy the moment when I can finally present my data. I've participated in SURF and Symposium on campus and it was very rewarding to know that everything on the poster was my work. My mentor, Dr. Thao Tran, is always so encouraging and I love working with her. She always interacts with the students with humor and patience. She also recently got her Ph.D. so I'm really happy for that!

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

Definitely through presentations and publications. I have not been published (yet) but during presentations many people came up to me and asked me about my research. They are always so intrigued and I love telling them about my story. 

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Do not be afraid to ask! Doors are always open, it's just the matter of you opening it. And if it's locked, find the key. It really isn't that hard. Working in a lab like mine allows you to interact with so many people you otherwise wouldn't have. You end up learning a lot about yourself, and I think that is the best experience of all.

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We’ve had some freakishly nice, warm days lately right? We had a blizzard that melted almost instantly thanks to these 50 and 60 degree days. I even hear birds chirping outside in the mornings, did they ever even go south for the winter? It’s kind of hard not to think about summer with days like this…

We have about three months of break during the summer, which is delightful, but also convenient. It’s a great opportunity to have a job or internship, considering it gives you time to reflect on your career goals, gain experience, and best of all you don’t have to come home at the end of the day and worry about homework or studying. It’s a win-win. Even though summer is a few months away, employers are starting to consider the candidates they’re going to hire for the summer. If you’re about to graduate in the spring, this is a perfect opportunity to consider full-time jobs starting in the summer as well! Whether you’re looking for a job or an internship for the summer season, now is the right time to figure out where you want to apply.

For a perfect opportunity to get a jump start, I highly recommend coming to the UMBC Summer Job and Internship Fair on Wednesday, February 10th in the University Center Ballroom. There will be over 60 employers including NIH, Peace Corps, and PayPal! You can check out the entire list of employers and their descriptions here.

There’s a few things you can do before the fair to make sure you make the most of it and ensure good results:

1.      Research the companies and figure out which employers you want to talk to before the fair. This way you can confidently speak with them about their company’s outlook and goals, as well as why you’d be a good fit with them.

2.      Make sure your resume looks strong before you hand it out to employers. You can look at our resume writing page on the Career Center website, or you can come get your resume reviewed beforehand! You can make an appointment at the Career Center or you can come into our drop-in hours between 2-4 Monday-Friday. The day before the fair we extended our drop-in hours to 10am-12pm and 1-4pm.

3.      Dress professionally! If you need some help, check out our helpful guide here.

4.      Network, network, network. Talk with recruiters, e-mail them after the fair, and consider connecting to them on LinkedIn. There will be a lot of students at the fair, so you want to be sure you stand out.

If you want any more information on this, you can check out our page on navigating career fairs or get in touch with the Career Center by careers@umbc.edu, 410.455.2216, or stopping by Math/Psych 212. 

I hope to see you all there on Wednesday!