‘A fantastic opportunity’: Chemical engineering student talks about the department’s Griswold internship

Chemical engineering junior Jaden Petersen is gaining hands-on lab experience thanks to the Griswold Undergraduate Research Internship. He’s part of Assistant Professor Molly Kozminsky’s team involved with a prostate cancer research project funded by the U.S. Department of Defense.

“The Griswold internship program has been a fantastic opportunity,” Petersen says. “It has made it possible for me to work in a lab and really hone in on research work for Dr. Kozminsky.”

The program provides paid opportunities for chemical engineering students to work 8-10 hours per week directly with faculty members on individual projects in their lab. “In addition to helping me greatly in a financial sense, the internship allows me flexibility to schedule time in the lab when I am able to in order to meet the hour requirements.”

“I saw Dr. Kozminsky’s presentation on her research in the ENGR 1010 (Engineering Orientation) course, and reached out to her,” says Petersen. “I then spent two semesters in CHE 4900 (Applied Industrial Research) and then received the Griswold internship and went to work in her lab. I’m now in my second semester as a Griswold intern.”

“I want to be a process engineer doing pharmaceutical or medical device work,” says Petersen. “I did an internship with Cambrex Pharmaceuticals where I got to work with chemists all day analyzing what drugs will do. Now I get to work in the Kozminsky lab, studying what cells are going to do in regard to cancer. This biological hands-on experience is going to be a great advantage to me going forward.”

Internships a career path ‘navigational tool’

The Griswold Undergraduate Research Internship was established by Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering alumnus Gary Griswold and his wife Mickie.

“It’s often difficult for young students to know exactly what they want to do in their careers,” Gary Griswold says. “Hands-on experiences can serve as a navigational tool to point them in the right direction.” The internship also exposes students to intellectual property, project management and other topics. Griswold practiced intellectual property law in a 34-year career with DuPont and 3M.

There are 14 Griswold interns currently active.

Related story: Molly Kozminsky takes on prostate cancer lethality in Department of Defense-sponsored research