Senior chemistry major and Ames National Laboratory intern Angela Chartouni works in a lab inside Spedding Hall on Tuesday. Chartouni is one of more than 50 undergraduate students to take part in the program funded by Iowa State strategic plan funds. Photo by Christopher Gannon.
When junior Noor Emaan applied for an internship at Ames National Laboratory last fall, she still was deciding on a major. A fortuitous placement worked out well for everyone.
"I actually applied for the outreach and education area, but then I got referred to the procurement department," she said. "I think it was for the better, because I am an accounting major and I was still deciding at that time."
Emaan's skills learned in the classroom translated well, and she helped researchers with purchases of chemicals, machinery and anything else for their projects. She's one of 59 undergraduate students who've taken part in the ISU-AMES SCIENCES program supported by about $325,000 in Iowa State strategic plan funds. The program created internships at the lab in both operations and research to expand the state and nation's energy sciences workforce.
"This opportunity provides students an experience in a real-world working environment which will help them make a decision around their career path, selected major and may lead to future job opportunities," said intern program coordinator Kelly Bergman, Ames Lab.
Bergman said the program is popular among students -- who get the unique opportunity to work at a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) lab -- and employees, who get to train the next generation.
"The employees at Ames Lab were excited to take advantage of the program," she said.
Attracting students
ISU-AMES SCIENCES is in the second of a proposed three-year effort that began in 2024 with 20 students and expanded to 39 this year. Interested Ames Lab departments submit a project proposal that includes responsibilities for the intern and majors that translate best to that work. Students apply for a position and interview with someone in that department. When they're hired, they work 10-20 hours per week until they hit the 300-hour cap.
Each student is onboarded and assigned a mentor who provides training and supervision. With few exceptions, the program has a 1:1 mentor to student ratio.
Bergman said many students think of the lab only for research opportunities, but operations positions -- for example, procurement, education and outreach, environmental health and safety, facilities management, and information technology -- were equally important to fill. So far, 13 of the 59 internships have been in operations.
"We did get a lot of STEM majors who applied, but also we really wanted to place students in our operations," Bergman said. "We have majors from materials science, environmental science, agricultural studies, finance, education, English and psychology."
Lab work
Senior chemistry major Angela Chartouni used the internship to expand her knowledge in a lab setting, having worked previously for the chemistry department.
"My previous work I did in a hood out in the open. These projects are air- and moisture-sensitive," she said. "It has been cool to see all the steps I have to take to protect the chemicals from air and moisture."
Chartouni graduates in May and will highlight her experiences to apply to medical school.
"It helped me gain experience with what happens behind the scenes with chemistry," she said. "A lot of labs are basic, straightforward procedures that almost always work, as long as you follow the steps.
"Doing things in research and development I learned that not everything works. And a lot of times it's going to be failure after failure, but when you get to where you are going, it all pays off," she said.
Other interns gained research experience in critical materials, materials science and engineering, physics and chemistry. One intern will have their name included on a research paper when it is published, Bergman said.
Continued success
Most students conclude their internship after completing 300 hours because the program is designed to give as many students as possible exposure to the lab. Five interns remain employed at the lab by moving to lab-funded projects, Bergman said.
Four other interns from ISU-AMES SCIENCES went on to participate in Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI), a DOE program in which undergrads receive guidance from scientists and mentors and work in a research environment for 10 or more weeks. Many students use their SULI experience to write journal articles in national publications.
