Photo By Burrell Parmer | JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON – (Aug. 8, 2024) – Five student interns...... read more read more
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON – (Aug. 8, 2024) – Five student interns enrolled in the Office of Naval Research’s Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP) presented their research to mentors, scientists and staff assigned to Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) San Antonio at Willis Hall.
NREIP gives academically talented college students, graduating seniors, and graduate students pursuing STEM careers the opportunity to learn about Naval research and technology while receiving first-class mentoring by top scientists and engineers.
Matthew Byrne, Victoria Capobianco, Saeha Lee, Cecilia Shuler, and Meili Jensen took part in the 10-week program which places college and university students in Department of Navy laboratories where they take part in real Naval research during the summer.
In addition to orally presenting their research, each intern displayed their research results during a science poster session held at the Tri-Service Research Laboratory, Aug. 6
Byrne, of Augusta, Ga., assigned to Combat Casualty Care and Operational Medicine, presented research titled “Evaluation of Biomedical Devices Exposed to Simulated Artic Conditions.”
“During my tenure at NAMRU San Antonio, I was able to join an amazing team of engineers and become heavily involved in practical protocol development for evaluating material and human performance under Arctic conditions and the impact extreme cold temperatures have on medical infrastructure,” said Byrne, a senior at Georgia Institute of Technology, who’s majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in International Business, Spanish, and Culture. “Being able to join a large team of engineers was pivotal for my success during my NREIP experience.”
Byrne praised his primary mentor Dr. William D’Angelo who’s assigned to NAMRU San Antonio’s Biomedical Systems Engineering and Evaluation Department.
“Dr. D’Angelo did an incredible job of making me feel like a true intellectual and research equal,” said Byrne, who wishes to pursue research in medical device development for the early detection and treatment of progressive diseases using imaging techniques and directed energies. “I am immensely grateful to him for putting me in positions to present research on behalf of the team to our collaborators. It taught me how to constantly be prepared to pitch and present my research and it showed me the trust they have in me.”
According to D’Angelo, his department enjoyed the enthusiasm and energy which Byrne demonstrated throughout the 10-week program.
“Matt faced all tasks with initiative, determination, and optimism. His internship marked the first time we had an opportunity for an offsite data collection, and he handled the logistics like an experienced test and evaluation engineer,” said D’Angelo. “It was a supreme pleasure to mentor a mature, reliable, technically talented young man. He was a credit to the program.”
Cecilia Shuler, of Panama City, Fla., assigned to Craniofacial Health and Restorative Medicine, briefed her research titled, “Engineering Neutrophil-Membrane Coated Nanoparticles as an Effective Drug Delivery System during Reperfusion Injury.”
“The experiences I’ve had with NRIEP has already helped me earn a place in a lipid nanoparticle bioengineering lab at my university,” said Shuler, who’s attending the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Biophysics with a minor in Chemistry. “The connections I’ve made at NAMRU San Antonio through NREIP will last me a lifetime.”
She stated that the staff at NAMRU San Antonio were very supportive and more than happy to offer any help that she needed to succeed in her endeavors, especially Dr. Jessica Saul-McBeth.
“My mentor was absolutely amazing. She has helped me grow my confidence as a researcher and as a person,” said Shuler, whose long-term goal is to go to Mars as a physician-astronaut. “I’ve absolutely loved working with her these past two summers. I don’t feel like I am just an intern when I’m working with Jess, she takes my ideas and opinions into account and allows me to pursue avenues of research independently.”
According to Saul-McBeth, Shuler is an incredibly hard worker who can work independently and effectively with an amazing attitude and work ethic.
“She came this summer right when a large in vivo project started in the lab greatly limiting the time that we were able to spend together,” said Saul-McBeth, who’s assigned to NAMRU San Antonio’s Biomaterials Department. “Even though this could have been a large deterrent to her project, we were able to still get a lot of work done. She was incredibly flexible, never got overwhelmed, and was not afraid to ask for help when needed.”
At the conclusion of the interns’ presentations, each received a completion plaque from NAMRU San Antonio Commanding Officer Capt. Jennifer Buechel and Chief Science Director Dr. Darrin Frye.
Research scientist Dr. Daniel Thompson, NAMRU San Antonio’s alternate Student Outreach Program Coordinator remarked on the importance of NREIP.
“The Navy provides a shared focus of supporting our nations interests and people. It is under this focus that all decisions are made, even down to the research level,” said Thompson. “While research can be done by these students on an academic level in many other institutions, the NREIP program is able to give them experience of how Department of Defense (DoD) research is done under the umbrella of the Navy, and the Navy’s unique goals and challenges. It gives them a chance to take part in shared interest much bigger than themselves.”
To be eligible for NREIP, applicants must be U.S. citizens currently enrolled at a four-year U.S. college or university accredited by the U.S. Department of Education and must have completed 31 or more college credits. Interested students can apply for NREIP at https://navalsteminterns.us/nreip/.
NAMRU San Antonio is one of the leading research and development laboratories for the U.S. Navy under the DoD and is one of eight subordinate research commands in the global network of laboratories operating under the Naval Medical Research Command in Silver Spring, Md.
Its mission is to conduct gap driven combat casualty care, craniofacial, and directed energy research to improve survival, operational readiness, and safety of DoD personnel engaged in routine and expeditionary operations.
| Date Taken: | 08.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.09.2024 12:57 |
| Story ID: | 478220 |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, US |
| Hometown: | AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, US |
| Hometown: | DALLAS, TEXAS, US |
| Hometown: | LARAMIE, WYOMING, US |
| Hometown: | PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | SCARSDALE, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 80 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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