Internships at Promega aren’t about getting coffee for your boss or shredding thousands of old papers. Promega interns take responsibility for complex projects that create notable impacts for their teams, our customers, or Promega as a whole.

Promega hosted 56 interns over the summer in 2024. These students came with unique skills in science, engineering, marketing, IT and so much more. We asked several of them to write about the work they did, as well as the results and benefits they created.

Continue reading “Promega Summer Interns Contribute Skills and Ideas from Logistics to R&D”

If she weren’t working at Promega, Evie Zadzilka probably would’ve spent the summer after high school graduation taking summer classes before reporting to her freshman year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She runs a small art business, and she might’ve spent more time taking commissions.

Instead, Evie spent the summer before college as an intern in Promega R&D, honing her pipetting skills as she learns about primer design and contributing to the development of a new Promega assay.

“I’ve had a great time,” she says. “I’ll definitely take a lot with me from this experience. I’m so glad I got to do it.”

Evie and her fellow intern Tess Clark were the two high school-aged interns placed at Promega through a relationship with a Madison-based nonprofit called Maydm. This organization helps girls and youth of color in grades 6-12 prepare for careers in STEM by providing educational opportunities and experiences. Through school and summer programs, they strive to disrupt systemic barriers by empowering students like Evie to pursue their dreams as entrepreneurs, developers, engineers and more.

“This will really boost my confidence when I get into lab work next year,” Evie says.

High School Internships at Promega

During their senior year of high school, Tess and Evie were both enrolled in dual-credit courses through Madison College. These classes made them eligible to apply for a high school internship through Maydm.

“I’ve been interested in research for a very long time,” says Tess, another recent school graduate preparing to enter the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “I’m going to major in physics next year, and I don’t have many ties to the biotechnology or chemistry I’ve worked with at Promega. But I wanted hands-on lab experience, so that’s how I ended up here.”

Continue reading “High School Interns Get Hands-On Experience in Promega R&D”

The BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTC Institute) is collaborating with Promega to provide D.O.O.R.S. Scholarships to 10 students from underrepresented backgrounds. The scholarship has been awarded annually since 2020.

Each student will receive a $5,000 scholarship. But what else can you expect from a D.O.O.R.S. Scholarship?

In April 2024, eight D.O.O.R.S. Scholars visited Promega Madison for D.O.O.R.S. Scholars Day. At the end of the day, they shared their thoughts on the benefits they gained from the program.

Mentorship

Each D.O.O.R.S. Scholar is assigned a Promega scientist as a mentor. Throughout the school year, they participate in individual and group mentorship sessions that include constructive feedback on their research and professional development.      

My mentor, Sid Withers, was super influential to me. He walked me through differences in what it means to get a PhD or a Masters. We talked about different stigma and mental health issues surrounding science and academia. And overall, I really appreciated his insight into careers in the biotech industry.

Julia Forsey, McGill University

Continue reading “What Do You Get from a DOORS Scholarship?”

Earlier this summer, Promega Madison welcomed three rising researchers from Europe for an immersive experience on the company’s main campus. Alexandre Lalande (PhD student, International Center for Infectiology Research, France), Margaux Cochard (Post-Doc, University of the Littoral Opal Coast, France) and Emmanuel Heilman (Post-Doc, Medical University of Innsbruck) were selected as Young Researcher Award winners by Promega France and Promega Germany. Their prize trip to the United States included tours of Promega facilities, conversations with Promega leaders and research scientists and hands-on training with emerging technologies.

“It’s really interesting to see how Promega manages to find harmony between the science, the people and the business,” Alexandre says. “When you arrive here you immediately feel comfortable.”

Meeting Industry Scientists

Alexandre says that he has always imagined himself working in academia doing basic research, but he never totally ruled out opportunities in industry.

Continue reading “A Peek Behind the Scenes: Young Researchers Visit Promega Madison”