My mentor was fantastic. He supported student success no matter what level of experience we came to him with. My project was challenging yet attainable, and I learned so much.
What I wish was different
I wish I had more coding experience prior to starting the internship, that would've made my transition a lot smoother.
Advice
Don't be scared of challenges if you feel unqualified. Go for it if you're interested!
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Software Intern
July - August 2021 • Dallas, TX
What I liked
I enjoyed all the different resources available to experience different aspects of software design. I also liked how my supervisor took the time to explain foreign concepts to me so I could understand at a reasonable pace since it was a government facility.
What I wish was different
I wish that I could have interacted with other interns as well. There was a large intern population however everyone got their own supervisor to work with so I was never able to encounter other students my age to be able to talk over concepts and work together and share experiences. I think that would have made my experience that much more valuable.
Advice
I encourage people to not hesitate to ask questions. As entry level positions, the people we are working for understand that a lot of the material may be new so nobody should be afraid to learn something new. Especially in this career field where technology is changing everyday at the speed of light so I am glad that I took every opportunity to ask questions and get answers.
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
June - August 2021 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
It was my first internship, and it happened to be at a big organization. I loved that I had a mentor throughout the whole time, and that there were a lot of events for interns, like seminars or career fairs
What I wish was different
I wish it was in person
Advice
Apply to a lot of places if you are a student. Do not apply to just one position and expect them to hire you.
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Chemistry Research Intern
June - August 2021 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
I liked the opportunity to talk to and learn from people employed by the lab.
What I wish was different
I wish the internship had been in person instead of online.
Advice
This is a great program when it is running in person, not as much when running virtually.
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Research Intern
June - August 2020 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
Knowledgeable mentor; great research experience.
What I wish was different
I would have preferred the experience be in person rather than online due to the pandemic.
Advice
Make an effort to meet other interns.
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Student Undergraduate Laboratory Internship
June - August 2019 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
I liked the national lab environment with many opportunities to learn about the facility. I liked having deliverables at the completion of my internship showcasing my research.
What I wish was different
N/A
Advice
Use your time wisely and use every resource you have access to.
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SULI Intern
June - August 2019 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
The best part about working at Oak Ridge National Lab is that I got to do research at one of the top government research facilities in the country. It was a very neat experience to work with people who are so accomplished, and my work in coding, fluid dynamics, and differential equations at the lab has informed my research at KU a LOT! My work from the lab has also been included in a publication that was just submitted to the peer-reviewed journal Langmuir, published by the American Chemical Society. (I also liked having an official government badge!)
What I wish was different
I sometimes wished my internship was closer to home because I got homesick as the summer progressed. However, the internship was also easily the coolest and most amazing thing I did this year.
Advice
Apply for internships!! Don't be afraid to put yourself out there for any reason. I had only a little research experience before this summer, and they still picked me! Now, I have such a better perspective on what it takes to do and publish research, and my research at KU has benefited a ton from it.
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Science Undergraduate Research Internship
June - August 2019 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
I liked that I had a dedicated mentor to help me with my research. I also enjoyed attending lectures at the lab on various research topics, as well as seminars on professional development. Not only did I grow as a scientist and student through my research, but with the professional development training, the program also helped me prepare for future professional opportunities.
What I wish was different
I with that I had been working on a group research project, rather than an independent one.
Advice
Don't be afraid to apply!
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
May - August 2019 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
Working on a project that could help the future of National Security
What I wish was different
I wish they had provided living quarters.
Advice
Though I thought I was in over my head at the beginning of my internship, there were many people there to help me push through and learn more than I ever thought was possible in 10 weeks.
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Undergraduate Researcher
April 2019 • Knoxville, TN
What I liked
I got to do deep learning research, which is what I really wanted to do. My mentor was really great and we got along really well. The atmosphere is really nice, very flexible with hours, depending on the team and job. Oak Ridge is in a really pretty party of Tenessee as well. Working with other interns and my mentor was really engaging as we tackled problems no one has solved before.
What I wish was different
Getting things started a little faster/getting settled in.
Advice
Do your best and make good impressions. There is a big network of people at the lab that all have great connections to grad schools or other research opportunities. Take advantage and learn as much as you can.
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Cyber Security Researcher
June - August 2019 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
There were over 300 interns over the summer, so I got to meet and network with students all over the world. Although I didn't work on the main campus (and thus only visited infrequently), the campus has many interesting facilities that they offer monthly tours for.
I also had a great research experience. My mentor graduated from my university and was very helpful and informative throughout the entire process. I gained a lot of useful skills for my field and made substantial progress on the research effort.
What I wish was different
The tours for on-campus facilities fill up fast, so I never got to attend any of them. I wish that the tours had been offered more frequently so I could have a chance to see some of the facilities. Also, the administrative overhead is a bit frustrating in the beginning, but it gets better.
Advice
I would personally recommend applying for the HERE program because it doesn't have as many strict requirements as the SULI program. I didn't have to attend the weekly seminars (Note: They are useful for some students but they didn't really apply to my work) and generally had less administrative overhead than the other students.
Also Tennessee is a great area for hiking and outdoor activities. Try to get out to the Smoky Mountains, downtown Knoxville, and Chattanooga at least once during your stay.
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SULI Summer Student
June - August 2018 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
Very hands on position relevant to the type of work I want to do in the future.
What I wish was different
Students working at ORNL as part of the DOE's SULI program were required to attend weekly plenary sessions where different career topics were discussed. I found 90% of the time I spent in these talks useless and uninteresting. Additionally, my required attendance added unnecessary stress to my work life in that there were many other goals I had that I could be working towards rather than attending these lectures. My supervisor at ORNL concurred.
Advice
It was an excellent way to grow my network and clarify my career objectives.
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Research Software Engineering Intern
May - August 2018 • Knoxville, TN
What I liked
My team lead, especially, was very understanding of our position is interns, not full-time workers. He emphasized that our priority task at the lab was not to complete the work that we had to do, but rather learn and grow professionally. This meant that we were encouraged to go on seminars, lectures and other events held at the lab.
What I wish was different
I had virtually no interaction with other interns outside my team since the lab is so big.
Advice
The quality of your experience highly depends on your mentor, so make sure that you're getting a position under a project that you know you are interested in.
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Higher Education Research Experiences (HERE) Intern
May - August 2018 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
I was given a large degree of freedom, most likely not attainable through any normal internship, and was supported during my pursuit of personal research interests.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Intern
June - August 2018 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
What I wish was different
Advice
Lots of experienced people at the lab, reach out to different people and get to know about their experiences.
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Software Developer Intern
May 2015 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
The internship is laid-back.
What I wish was different
More travel events
Advice
Work on projects that matter
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Research assistant
June - August 2018 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
Being able to work in a laboratory setting doing actual research that has real world applications
What I wish was different
Advice
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Applications Programmer
June - August 2018 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
-I loved the working environment. Really friendly co-workers who went above and beyond to do things together. -Always had clear objectives on what to work on
-Flexible schedule
What I wish was different
-Commute was 45 min. each way and was quite draining
-There were some hiccups while submitting required documents in order to start the internship
Advice
It was very nice to work in a team. When I got frustrated with a problem, I could turn to my fellow intern and we would discuss possible solutions. I was glad to not have a whole project riding on my shoulders, and having someone to bounce ideas off of was invaluable.
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Chemistry Research Intern
June - August 2018 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
I got good lab experience in a professional environment.
What I wish was different
I wish it was more related to my major.
Advice
Any experience can give you helpful tools that you can apply to other experiences later.
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Research Intern
June - August 2018 • Oak Ridge, TN
What I liked
Learning new physics and math
What I wish was different
Been more familiar with the project I ended up doing.
Advice
Really define what you'll be working on instead of figuring it out there.
