All posts by Joanna Louise McCreedie

Research Assistant – University of Exeter RILD

Biosciences, Education, Teaching and Research, Health Care, Science, Science, Student Campus Partnership (SCP)

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

I had to constantly be reading and analysing new research papers on type I diabetes and glucose variation as well as P2Y receptors. I also completed a small research project where I came up with a research question, planned an experiment to analyse the data (this was a western blot) and then came to a conclusion. I also helped other scientists with changing media on cells in tissue culture where I learnt important aseptic techniques. I calculated protein concentrations and made serial dilutions from this to assist with other experiments.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

At the end of the internship I had to present to a room full of expert scientists about the project I had been working including some background, methods, results and conclusions which helped me work through my dislike of presenting.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I completed a project that one of the PHD scientists did not have time to do but really needed the results.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Research, strategic planning, lab techniques

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Confidence, professionalism, perseverance

Research Assistant – University of Exeter Modern Languages

Art History and Visual Culture, Education, Education, Teaching and Research, Modern Languages, Student Campus Partnership (SCP)

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

In this internship, I conducted research for the Russian Department on how Russian is taught at every other university in the UK, so the department could analyse the data to ensure the course at Exeter is of the best possible quality. I also conducted similar research for the Chinese, Portuguese and Italian departments. In addition to this research, I also created two documents – a resources guide for students on their Year Abroad and also a ‘Survival Guide’ for the incoming Beginner’s Russian cohort.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

I have never worked in an office environment before and by working in academia I learnt a lot about teaching and research, and the entire ‘behind the scenes’ of an academic’s life.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

The research and Year Abroad document were tasks that the department had wanted to do for a long time, but did not have the manpower or hours to complete. By completing these tasks, I lightened the work load of the department and hopefully provided plenty of data through my research than can be used to make improvements in the future.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Teamwork and collaboration, problem solving, negotiation

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Motivation, personal awareness, work ethic

Summer Research Intern – University of Exeter CEMPS

Biosciences, Education, Teaching and Research, Science, Science, Student Campus Partnership (SCP)

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

Over the course of the four weeks, I carried out lab work, looking into the effects of different enzymes on DNA damage and repair. In addition, I did a lot of tissue culture, an essential skill for any biologist, and learnt how to use a flow cytometer which I used almost daily. I made up batches of media for people to use to grow cells in for their experiments. I helped with other lab procedures that the PhD students were doing, such as western blots and midipreps.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

Carrying out independent work in the lab and becoming a lot more confident in my skills.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I completed a project, looking at the effect of the PARP1 inhibitor, PJ-34, on class switching in CH12 cells, where I got some interesting results that will hopefully be used in the future.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Ability to work under pressure, IT, decision making

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Logical thinking, independence, work ethic

Engineering Intern – Designability

Access to Internships (A2I), Education, Teaching and Research, Engineering, Health Care, Manufacturing, Engineering and Processing, Science, Science

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

  • Design work on a saddle seat for a dynamic wheelchair for children with dystonic cerebral palsy.
  • Documentation of the engineering design process, including design specification, research findings and concept and detail drawings.
  • Home visits to a family with a child with dystonic cerebral palsy (who will test the wheelchair in its early stages and eventually use it) – I collaborated with other engineers and occupational therapists to determine the best design for the saddle seat.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

My work proposed a specific design for a saddle seat to replace a currently used off-the-shelf bicycle saddle which was unfit for purpose. The design better addresses the complex needs of the user. The research and design work I completed lightened the workload of colleagues.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

My time included home visits to a child who would be using the saddle seat – this improved my skills in user-centred design and helped me understand the complex requirements of seating for dystonic cerebral palsy children. I improved my team working skills, in consulting other engineers/ occupational therapists on my design. I became more confident in putting forward my ideas, as well as understanding criticisms.

Church Intern – Grace Church Truro

Access to Internships (A2I), Administration, Charity and Development Work, Classics and Ancient History, Education, Teaching and Research, English, Philosophy

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

My internship involved theology study and assignments, leadership development training and working with a partner charity of Grace Church, Christians Against Poverty. My key area of responsibility was as a Christians Against Poverty ‘Job Club Coach’, helping those who have been out of work to find their way back to different jobs.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

My biggest achievement was working as a CAP Job Club coach, aiming to help people from low social-economic backgrounds find their way into jobs – it was a challenging and rewarding role.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

Personally I benefited hugely from the theology training and leadership development. I gained a clearer understanding of the types of roles I am interested in taking in the future.

Research Assistant in Acoustics – University of Exeter CEMPS

Education, Teaching and Research, Engineering, Manufacturing, Engineering and Processing, Physics and Astronomy, Science, Science, Student Campus Partnership (SCP)

It was a really valuable experience that allowed me to get involved with cutting edge research in the CEMPS department at Exeter. It gave me the opportunity to network with PhD students and find out about their research projects. This experience has helped me to shape my future career plans and I will be returning to the University of Exeter in January as a postgraduate research student.

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

  • Fabrication of underwater thermo-acoustic devices for experiments.
  • Building heat transfer simulations on FORTRAN to model the thermo-acoustic device in different mediums.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

My biggest achievement was making the devices as this was a trial and error process, so it took patience and several unsuccessful attempts before creating a working device. After each attempt, it was necessary to pin point which step in the fabrication process was damaging the device and then alter the fabrication method in line with the findings. This process led to a thermo-acoustic device that could be tested underwater.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Ability to work under pressure, IT, decision making

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Confidence, motivation, independence

Graduate Ambassador (Widening Participation and Direct Recruitment) – University of Exeter

Administration, Advertising, Marketing and PR, Business and Management, Graduate Business Partnership (GBP), Hospitality and Event Management, Human Resources, Recruitment and Training, Psychology, Sociology and Criminology, , ,

The internship was invaluable in helping me to develop the skills required to secure a training contract to be a solicitor. I am now back in full time education completing an MA in Law and look forward to starting with the firm in 2020.

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

As a Graduate Ambassador, I worked in both widening participation and direct recruitment. This involved delivering presentations for schools and colleges to inform students about their Higher Education options. I represented the University of Exeter at Information Fairs and UCAS Exhibitions, as well as helping with events on campus such as Open Days and Offer-Holder visit days.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Leadership, strategic planning, IT

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Commercial awareness, logical thinking, professionalism

Archive Assistant – Unfinished Histories

Access to Internships (A2I), Administration, Art History and Visual Culture, Classics and Ancient History, English, Libraries and Heritage

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

Assisting in the cataloguing of the Inter-Action Archive, sorting through new documents for relevant material, helping set up a Facebook page for the project, and transcribing interviews with key members of Inter-Action.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

Being able to make practical use of my research skills in a professional environment – rather than using it to write essays I actually got to use my research and analytical skills to analyse key documents and organise documents accordingly.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

The main benefit was probably helping them get through archival material and organise them accordingly which in turn allowed them to search through other garages to collect more documents. Also, I helped in establishing a Facebook page which will make it easier to post updates on the project as well as getting in contact with people who were part of the Inter-Action community group.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Communication, focus on goals and outcomes, IT

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Confidence, initiative, motivation

ESI Research Assistant – University of Exeter, Penryn

Access to Internships (A2I), Accounting and Finance, Administration, Business and Management, Economics, Education, Teaching and Research, Geography, Politics and Government, Politics and International Relations

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

During my time as a research assistant I had one main role – this was to research Circular Economy in both theory and practice across several different nations. Nations and areas researched included Costa Rica, Kenya and the European Union which was to be used during presentations and a very brief start to a research paper. I was given a new nation to research each time I finished my work making this was my main role in ESI.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

My ability to research effectively and put it into writing vastly improved.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I was able to lighten the workload for my professor who is currently researching a project.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Communication, problem solving, time and workload management

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Initiative, logical thinking, professionalism

Employability and Work Placements Support Officer – University of Exeter College of Life and Environmental Sciences

Access to Internships (A2I), Administration, Biosciences, Hospitality and Event Management, Human Resources, Recruitment and Training, Science

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

I was planning, organising and arranging employability events which included inviting speakers, arranging logistics, promoting to students and hosting events. Aside from this, I was processing work placement paperwork for employability modules, writing the college student newsletter, meeting with academic colleagues to review and plan college employability provision, and training other team members on the work placement processes.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

I gained confidence in event management, administration, and the office environment.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

The CLES employability team only consisted of myself and my line manager. I played a key role in organising events and processing work placements. Without my role, the team would have struggled to function.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Negotiation, ability to work under pressure, networking

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Commercial awareness, logical thinking, professionalism