One Day, One Internship » chemistry

Novomer

Willy Franzen — Thu, 06 May 2010 14:55:46 +0000

Looking for a good book? Need new clothes for your upcoming interview? Need a course to help guide you through the internship search? We’ve put together a page on our favorite internship search products, and we’ve even found you a deal or two along the way.

Yesterday we talked about the intersection of science and public relations, but today we’re just going to stick to science—Chemistry to be specific. I struggled with Chemistry in high school. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t my fault though. I had a teacher who wasn’t quite qualified for the job. The amazing thing is that even in high school Chemistry, you’re working with some pretty nasty stuff. That means that a lot of the chemical companies out there aren’t very environmentally friendly. Novomer is an exception. They convert “carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide from pollution into valuable materials [that have] the potential to transform the plastics and materials landscape on a global scale.” And I thought it was cool that trees could turn carbon dioxide into wood. Novomer is based in Waltham, MA, but their R&D lab is in my favorite college town, Ithaca, NY.

Making Chemistry Green

Since I wasn’t a very good Chemistry student, I probably won’t be able to shed much light on the nitty gritty details of what Novomer actually does. I will tell you that the flow chart on their Technology page is probably as simple as it gets though. You should also note that 10% of the oil that our country used is for manufacturing plastics and chemicals. Novomer’s technology not only negates the need for oil in the manufacturing process, but it also locks up carbon dioxide in the good that are produced. That’s pretty amazing. Even the government is impressed, as Novomer was awarded $2.1 million in federal stimulus money. If you’re impressed, check out internships at Novomer. Right now they’re looking for a Business Development Intern to work on Market Analysis and Research. There’s no word on whether the internship is paid or not, but it looks pretty serious, so I hope it is. You don’t need to be a total chemistry whiz, but you better have a basic understanding of the field if you want to land the internship.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Novomer?

Intellectual Ventures

Willy Franzen — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:41:01 +0000

One of the books that I’ve been reading lately is SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance. It’s a great follow-up to the original Freakonomics, and it once again shows how changing your mindset can lead you to all kinds of new ideas (this is a really important lesson for your career). One of the companies that is mentioned in the book is Intellectual Ventures, a Bellevue, WA based invention company. They’re all about ideas. Things like product design, product development, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and service all come later, and Intellectual Ventures doesn’t want anything thing to do with those processes. They just invent, invent, invent. The company isn’t tied to one specific area—they’re working on problems like stopping Malaria, preventing hurricanes, and counteracting negative effects from climate change should they ever happen.

An Intellectual Venture for Your Career

For Intellectual Ventures it’s all about owning the intellectual property. They want to come up with the ideas, make them work, and then let other companies do the rest. The business side will be about licensing the technology to the right people on a non-exclusive basis possibly including spin-off companies, but for now it’s all about building a technology portfolio. Intellectual Ventures has been actively inventing since 2003, and since then they’ve filed thousands of patents. These patent applications “span a broad range of areas including computer software and hardware, user interface design, semiconductors, biomedical devices, advanced medical procedures, digital imaging, nanotechnology, nuclear energy and advanced particle physics.” As you can probably tell from that list of topic area (and the company’s name), Intellectual Ventures is filled with extremely smart people. It was founded by two former C level Microsoft executives.

If you’ve always been fascinated by invention and you think that you have the intellect, then you should check out Intellectual Ventures’ Internships page. They have quite a few internships posted right now, and most these include a number of postings each for Laboratory Intern I, Laboratory Intern II, and Senior Laboratory Intern. There’s also one posting for a Nuclear Intern (applicants need not be radioactive). You should also note that Intellectual Ventures has satellite offices in Silicon Valley, Austin, Tokyo, Beijing, Singapore, Seoul, and Bangalore, but for now all of their internships re at the Bellevue, WA office. There’s no mention of whether the positions are paid, but I’m strongly inclined to say that they are.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you read SuperFreakonomics yet?

Green Seal

Willy Franzen — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 14:35:06 +0000

Whether or not we’re really going through a green revolution is up for debate, but I can assure you that Marketing departments across the world are taking advantage of the public’s appetite for “green” products. Unfortunately, “green” doesn’t really mean anything. To you it might mean one thing, and to me it might mean another. We assume that something that is labeled or advertised as green will be better for the environment, but how do we really know? That’s where Green Seal comes in. They are Washington, DC based “independent non-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding the environment and transforming the marketplace by promoting the manufacture, purchase, and use of environmentally responsible products and service.” They do this by certifying products that meet their Green Seal standards. By having an independent third party set standards, consumers can actually make informed choices about the products they buy (as long as they’re Green Seal certified, of course).

Are You Green Seal Certified?

There’s a lot that goes into the certification process, and there are plenty of other organizations and businesses that work in the green certification field. The reason that Green Seal is different is that their “standard-setting process is open, collaborative, fair, and completely transparent.” There are no trade secrets. That means that even the most environmentally conscious customers will be able to know if Green Seal meets their personal standards. If Green Seal meets your personal standards, you may want to think about an internship with them. They have an Internships page on their website, but there aren’t any specific positions listed. However, they do invite you to call and inquire about their unpaid internships, which I strongly recommend that you do. I’d imagine that the internships will be science heavy because of the nature of what Green Seal does. Additionally, Green Seal does have an Accounting Internship posted on Idealist that might interest you, even if it doesn’t have much to do with the field of green certification.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you try to buy certified products? Which certifications?

Ashland

Willy Franzen — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:52:45 +0000

This is a guest post by Heather R. Huhman. Heather is the media relations manager at a national health care professional association. She is also the entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com, a career expert for the CAREEREALISM Twitter Advice Project, the job search expert for Campus Calm and author of the e-book “Gen Y Meets the Workforce: Launching Your Career During Economic Uncertainty.”

Are you an up-and-coming mover and shaker? So is FORTUNE 500 company Ashland, a “diversified chemical company that provides innovative products, services and solutions to customers around the globe.” What’s great about Ashland is their recognition that some of the best talent comes directly from college campuses, and they are committed to providing employees a life-long learning environment where you can apply your knowledge and skills to real-life problems. A big company that recognizes leaders are “made, not born” is a rare find indeed.

Do You Have the Right Chemistry?

Ashland is currently seeking a full-time, paid Communications Intern in Dublin, OH, for the summer. As an intern, you can expect to “assist Ashland’s employee communications team in the planning and execution of all aspects of global employee communication strategies and tactics.” According to the company Web site, Ashland “has a history of attracting the best people and keeping them.” So, this internship could possibly lead to a future full-time opportunity?

Ready to join their team? Apply online in the Career Center and follow-up with manager of human resources Jeff Seese.

More About Chemistry than Communications?

[ed: The following section is from Willy] Heather is all about Communications and PR, but Ashland is a chemical company. You’d think they’d have more internships than the one that Heather mentioned, but there’s nothing posted right now. They do have a University Recruitment page, but it provides almost no valuable information. Additionally, there aren’t any internships posted in Ashland’s current openings. Your best bet is either to try to network your way into an internship, or to wait until Ashland posts something that might interest you in Engineering or some other area of their business.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Need help with your cover letter and résumé—or your entire job search? Heather offers low-cost coaching packages specifically for students and recent graduates seeking careers in public relations. Click here to learn more.