Internship Reflection Presentation

By Mariah Leitl

The experience of securing your internship

The Career Center was a huge help!

I discussed that I was interested in working in a lab setting and Sally offered me a list of options to chose from.

I really enjoyed how ConTest was so close to campus, allowing me to get my hours in either before or after class on most days.

I emailed Daren, one of the lab managers at ConTest and scheduled a tour of the laboratory. Soon after, I was meeting with the lab supervisor Bill, and

setting up a schedule to work along side him in the Extractions Laboratory.

ConTest is an environmental analytical laboratory, therefore, the summer months are the busiest time of the year when the soil and water are not frozen and available for collection. I started my internship hours in the

summer of 2015.

The orientation and/or training provided at your internship site.

Orientation started in the Human Resources office reading Standardized Operation

Procedure manuals for the projects I would be working on.

I also had the opportunity to read safety guides and attend a quality control meeting to ensure I would be performing at the level that ConTest

expects all of it’s employees be held to. In the lab, I was trained on the individual test

choices by a fellow employee to guide me.

The work you performed

Weighing out and locating soil samples

Microwave extraction

Concentration

Setting up soxhlets

Cleaning/Solvent rinsing glassware

Learning how to navigate the computer system (Element)

Weighing out the soil samples

Logging on the bench sheet for the client’s order

Microwave extraction

Soxhlet extraction method

The process of setting your learning goals

The Laboratory Supervisor, William Lucchini, wanted to show me a little bit of each portion of what goes on at ConTest Analytical Laboratories in the Extractions Lab. In conjunction, he set me up each week with a different employee to showcase various aspects of the extraction methods performed at ConTest.

In doing this, I would learn how a laboratory operates along with safety procedures and the science behind the test choices that are requested by individual clients.

The results you achieved in accomplishing each of your learning goals

I have learned so much! I now feel comfortable working in laboratory environment. I

have learned that quality is better than quantity when producing work for a client. If a mistake is made during a procedure, it is better to let the analyst know rather than try to cover up a mistake and produce faulty results to a

client.Our reputation with the client is of utmost

importance!

How the internship learning goals relate to the learning outcomes of your major field of study

Although ConTest is not a Biology based laboratory, I have taken away so much knowledge and experience throughout my short time spent working at the laboratory.

It is so exciting to be able to declare on my resume that I have experience working in the science field!

Regardless if a laboratory is chemistry or biology based, they all have some common core principles that they wish their employees to exude, including keeping safety and quality of the results produced of most importance.

The knowledge, competencies and skills you developed

Hands-on experience with learning how a laboratory operates

Chain of custody methods with keeping samples secure and uncontaminatedLaboratory cleanliness and safety

proceduresProcedures required for extracting

chemicals in order to analyze them for a client

The classroom learning you used during your internship, including specific courses that helped you, as well as specific courses that may have helped you

I was able to use lab techniques and safety procedures learned in courses I have taken at BayPath, most notably…

Organic chemistry (1 & 2)Microbiology lab

Genetics Lab

The internship learning you brought into your classroom experiences

One of the most notable connections made…

Advanced Litigations course!We had a discussion about a case that involved an

environmental law violation where a company dumped waste into the soil of a town, which

resulted in people getting very sick. I was able to insight the legal studies major students about the

processes it took to analyze this soil and how much damage the company could have possibly caused

the town and the liability that they would presume.

What you learned about this career path and how this internship has impacted your career goals and next steps

I have learned that working in a laboratory setting is definitely what I want to do after graduating from BayPath. I like the challenges of working on a new project everyday and using my skills learned to play a part in helping the overall goal of presenting scientific results to a client in which they can use to make very important decisions, financially and environmentally.

I have also learned that chemistry isn’t as bad as I thought it was ! Prior to getting hands on experience working in the lab, some of the material learned in class was quite confusing but spending time at an analytical lab has allowed these concepts to come full circle.

Lastly, I have become very interested in environmental science and hope to apply what I have learned at ConTest to future career opportunities in this same field.

Your learning about your own leadership style and the leadership styles of others

I have learned that I enjoy having a clear goal of what needs to be accomplished for the day. I enjoy keeping

myself busy and having guidance of what to do throughout my work day. I do not enjoy wasting time

and not contributing. I have learned that I work best when taking notes and

then following them up with hands on experience. The more I perform a task, the more comfortable I

become. I excel when a colleague trusts me to complete a task

to their standards and praises me when I have performed a job well done.

The professional contacts you have developed, specifically with regard to mentoring and networking

Lab supervisor of the Extractions Laboratory at ConTest Analytical Laboratory, William Lucchini

Access to Human Resources webpage showcasing internal career postings and availabilities at ConTest Analytical Laboratory

Having fun at ConTest!

The End