2009 Interns

Heidi Crosby
Student at University of Wisonsin

What I like about my internship was that I was able to apply what I am  learning in graduate school to a practical problem.  It was my first  experience in industry, and I really enjoyed the upbeat atmosphere and  friendly coworkers. 

As a medium-sized company, Genencor has the  advantage of feeling friendly and close-knit, while also having  state-of-the-art equipment and experts in multiple fields on site.  My  project was very focused and results oriented, and, to my surprise, I  think that it has caused me to be more focused in my own research.  I am  still not sure what I want to do when I finish school, but my experience at Genencor was a positive one and I will certainly consider working in industry in the future.

Anna Babakhanyan
Student at San Jose State University

My summer internship experience at Genencor was great. I have worked in a biotech company before, but it was a small start up. Thus, I was glad to be part of a larger company. From the first day at Genencor, I felt that my small contributions matter! I was happy to have my own project and responsibilities. Genencor offered cutting edge technology and great mentors. In addition, I enjoyed having weekly seminars, where each week one of the representatives from each department made presentation about their work. Finally, Friday Zymes and other social events helped interns assimilate into the company culture. My summer internship helped me to be more focused, critical and independent researcher. I learned multiple new techniques, improved my communication skills, and enhanced my team-member skills. After this summer,  I am sure that I would like to work at the Biotech company upon graduation. I worked on Applications Team and  that experienced reinforced my desire to continue working in that field. I realized that I am excited to work on translating R&D discoveries into marketable products.

Youngri Kim
Student at UC Berkeley

My experience as a summer intern in the Formulations Group at Genencor had a remarkable impact on me. I was not only able to obtain some of the necessary skill sets in becoming a researcher in the biotechnology industry but I also benefitted from my mentors’ constructive support.

The summer project was carried out in a way that I was able to think through problems at hand independently, as long as it was within the scope of our objectives. However, help was always nearby whenever it was needed. My mentors were always happy to answer the questions that I had and patiently taught me how to use necessary lab equipments throughout the summer. With my frequent interactions with both of my mentors, I was exposed to scientific theories covering a wide range of subjects, from biochemistry to philosophies in conducting research. During this summer, I decided to pursue further education in chemical engineering because I was greatly motivated to learn more and contribute to the biotechnology industry.

Genencor’s summer internship program definitely had a great impact on consolidating my future plans but the most important thing to note is that I had an amazing time while I was there. Genencor is truly a welcoming company. Everyone you meet here is very friendly and always willing to help. There are weekly “Zymes” (Friday socials) that serves as a great opportunity to get to know the people and to relax after a week of hard work. Also, there are many events and activities that interns can participate in, such as Habitat for Humanity, Intern Zyme, and Teambuilding.

I really enjoyed working at Genencor and I believe I was able to grow academically and also as a person during this summer internship program. Therefore, I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is interested in becoming a part of the biotechnology industry. 
 

Alex Greis
Student at University of Texas

My internship experience at Genencor has been one of the most enjoyable and valuable experiences in my professional career. During my internship, I was tasked with designing and implementing a process automation and data acquisition system. My work allowed me to develop my electronics and programming skills above and beyond what I had learned in the classroom, as well as learn plenty about the industrial enzyme process stream which was outside of my previous knowledge base. I was allowed much more creative control over my project than I was expecting, which was a big step up from the projects I had worked on in class with specifically-defined processes and tools.  

It was not just the work I performed that made my internship experience so valuable. The teams at Genencor always made me feel welcome; everyone was approachable and more than willing to give me a minute of their time to help or share their expertise with me. The system I delivered at the end of the summer was a valuable addition to the enzyme recovery processes at Genencor, allowing for a more streamlined and automated data acquisition procedure than what was previously in use. At the end of the summer, presenting my work to the company at the poster symposium and the intern seminar series was a good conclusion, and gave my project exposure to the other employees.
 

Sahitya Katikaneni
Student at Mercer University

My summer time at Genencor was totally positive. As a summer intern, I had a wonderful experience at Genencor both on a professional as well as a personal note. The people out there were very kind and helpful to me in all aspects. The fact that this was my first exposure to how a commercial Biotec R&D unit works was totally exciting!

 I come with a background from Pharmaceutical sciences with emphasis on protein formulation & delivery. Through this internship, I have had the opportunity to explore a completely different aspect from an industry point of view. I had no prior experience regarding the type of work my project demanded and my mentors were very helpful from day one and made sure I understood everything I was doing. The project was thoroughly explained to me, was given material to read and also made time to explain all the equipment and instrumentation required for the project. Some of the techniques and tips i learnt there could be carried beyond the internship and were applicable to my personal research in school. My project encountered several difficulties at every step and this improved my thinking ability and enhanced my analytical prowess.

Apart from work, life at Genencor was fun with every week zyme parties and other social gatherings. It was a great opportunity to meet people with diverse research as well as cultural backgrounds. Towards the end it felt as if i was one among them and had a tough time leaving. Cheers to Genencor and all the people who make these internships possible!

Derick Choi
Student at Santa Clara University

The internship program provided a learning experience that I do not believe school can offer.  Although college has opportunities where one must work with others such as group projects or papers, they are limited to maybe a week or two.  However, the internship program allows one to work closely with a mentor for over 3 months.  It definitely teaches important communication skills with both the mentor and other interns that may be working in a similar field. 
The communication skills that I have learned have helped in communicating with professors, which like the mentors are experts in their field.  I feel that I have more courage to ask questions to the professors and engage in discussion of the answers.  Additionally exchange of ideas between peers is easier as the internship allowed me to work alongside other interns for 3 months as well.  The internship gave me experience in understanding different viewpoints and their potential to contribute to the development of both my project and personal development of ideas.

The internship has not changed my career focus away from biotechnology or molecular biology.  In fact, the internship reinforced my desire to start a career related to these fields.

Bryan McAuley
Student at UCLA

What I enjoyed most about the internship program at Genencor was not only the incredible opportunity to work on an engaging and meaningful project, but to be part of a team of people who treated me like a coworker.  The friendly environment and challenging work made it the best internship program I've been through (and I should know it was my fourth!).

The downstream processing technologies I was exposed to during my project helped me with the chemistry laboratory class I took this quarter, both in regards to understanding and technical lab skills. The internship gave me significant insight into how the biotechnology industry works and helped me to understand where my interests lay in the future.