Four UAH students selected for prestigious BioTrain internship at HudsonAlpha

The HudsonAlpha BioTrain internship program offers students the opportunity to connect classwork with real-world job experience and gain skills and knowledge that will prepare them for careers in biotechnology and related fields.

The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology

Four students at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) – Brianna Graham, Zeina Sleiman, Katelyn Miller, and Alexander Moss – were selected from 300 applicants to participate in the BioTrain internship program at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. The nine-week program offers students the opportunity to connect classwork with real-world job experience and gain skills and knowledge that will prepare them for careers in biotechnology and related fields.

"Through the BioTrain program, our students are able to gain valuable work experience that complements their coursework," says Candace Phillips, senior coordinator for UAH’s Career Services. "With internship experience becoming more essential to job placement, we are thankful to have strong corporate partnerships with employers like HudsonAlpha."

BioTrain was launched in 2009 and offers a variety of internship opportunities in HudsonAlpha’s nonprofit research labs, for-profit associate companies, education, marketing and communications and economic development departments.

"This is an exciting opportunity for students because they gain job experience in both the research and business side of biotechnology," says Michele Morris, workforce development lead at HudsonAlpha. "Additionally, they attend weekly professional development sessions and learn soft skills that are essential in the workplace."

To date, more than 259 students from 60 schools in seven states have completed the HudsonAlpha BioTrain internship program, which is open to high school graduates who are enrolled in a college in the state of Alabama or are a resident of the state of Alabama enrolled in a college in a different state.

"We take a hands-on approach to learning at HudsonAlpha, so the students work on real projects during BioTrain and contribute to actual research," says Neil Lamb, Ph.D., vice president for Educational Outreach at HudsonAlpha. "It’s amazing how nearly ten years later, BioTrain has continued to grow and we see applications come in from across the country."

Interns will present their work conducted this summer at a public poster session at HudsonAlpha on July 27.