Summary: You might think internships are the domain of business students and undergrads. You’re training every day in a lab – why would you need more experiential learning?<br> The short answer is that your laboratory training is a great internship if you want to go on to a faculty position at a major research university.<br> But what if you want to use your scientific training to craft policy and legislation in your state government?<br> Or what if you want to work with a Contract Research Organization and help shepherd new drugs through clinical trials?<br> <br> The Best of the BEST<br> The NIH recognized this gap between the current training regimen an the job prospects of biomedical grads. They cite a 2012 study by the <a href="http://www.nihbest.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Biomedical-Research-Workforce-Working-Group-Report-.pdf">Biomedical Research Workforce Working Group</a> that found only 20-25% of graduating biomedical trainees went on to faculty positions. That means 75-80% did something else with their careers.<br> To bridge this gap, they introduced the <a href="http://www.nihbest.org">Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training</a> (BEST) program. BEST provides funding and support to 17 research institutions to experimentally improve career development.<br> This week, we talk with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickdbrandt">Patrick Brandt, PhD,</a> about the program he administers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The UNC program includes funding that allows students to leave their dissertation labs for a short time to work directly with industry or government agencies.<br> Dr. Brandt tells us about a few of the internships recently completed by trainees, and shares some tips for getting a spot in the program. He also discusses some of the ways students convince their PIs that time away from lab is worthwhile.<br> Dr. Brandt has noticed that students participating in the intern program are highly successful at getting a job after graduation. And it’s not just jobs with the intern host company.<br> Sure, an internship provides experience, CV fodder, and network of contacts, but Dr. Brandt thinks the real value lies elsewhere. He believes interns find greater success due to a surge in confidence the feel after working ‘in the field.’ They gain focus and can speak the language of their target industry, and that goes a long way when you’re trying to land a job.<br> It’s beginning to look a lot like New Year<br> Sure, the holiday season is far behind us, but no one told Winter Storm Helena that swept through the southern US this past week. We were snowed in for a few days, and celebrated with <a href="http://www.newbelgium.com/beer/accumulation">New Belgium’s Accumulation</a>. It’s a white IPA that would be a great introduction for your friends who aren’t sure about hoppy beers.<br> Plus, after a few sips, you’ll feel warmer!<br> And here’s a link to the crazy robotic moth to fuel your next nightmare:<br> <a href="https://www.jove.com/video/54802/insect-controlled-robot-mobile-robot-platform-to-evaluate-odor">Insect-controlled Robot: A Mobile Robot Platform to Evaluate the Odor-tracking Capability of an Insect</a><br>
