CADSTI-NE Internship Program
The Student Internship Program was launched in 2014 by CADSTI-NE. It offers internships at biotech, high tech and other organizations in the U.S., Canada, UK and Caribbean for SPISE graduates who are currently studying at post-secondary or tertiary institutions. The internships are approximately 4 – 12 weeks in duration and provide first-hand working experience for the students to see how STEM is applied to research and development in areas such as: biotechnology, artificial intelligence/ machine learning, software development, electrical engineering, renewable energy, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, and aerospace engineering. Specifically, the internships at companies provide an opportunity to:
- See the diverse career paths available in that industry
- Learn new laboratory techniques and skills
- Observe how state-of-the-art equipment is operated, maintained and controlled
- Expand theoretical knowledge for application to research and product development
- Network with individuals associated with that industry
- Observe the operations and infrastructure of a company
Notable Quotes from Our Interns
Lael Charles (Barbados) – 2022 intern at Foursquare Rum Distillery
‘My time at the Foursquare Rum Distillery was an invaluable experience. This internship truly opened my eyes to the applications of STEM in industry and for commercial benefit…working at this world-renowned distillery for three months has allowed me to gain a great deal of knowledge, form connections with professionals in the local science industry and to give me first-hand experience which has further energized my passion for science and innovation.’
Jenalyn Weekes (Montserrat) – 2021 intern at CAMP4 Therapeutics
‘I was able to see the functioning of a biotech company from the inside through attending team, department and company-wide meetings and events both on and off-site. I was able to get a sense of what different departments do and how and why inter-department communication and collaboration is important through the inter-departmental meetings. I was also able to network with my co-workers and learn about the biotech/pharma industry through their personal stories.’
Athena Pagon (Jamaica) – 2021 intern at Lenstec
‘My time at Lenstec was truly a blessing and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to intern for two months. Even if I don’t make intraocular lenses in the future, I gained so many scientific and soft skills and I’m sure they will be applicable in the future.’
Josh Henry (Grenada) – 2018 intern at Emera Caribbean
‘I learned a great deal, not just about … the field of power generation and distribution, but I also learned about the complex relationship between large organizations, the government and the people and how each needs the other to survive … I would recommend this opportunity to any other SPISE alumni.’
Desmond Edwards (Jamaica) – 2018 intern at Voyager Therapeutics
‘Overall, this internship experience was amazing in every fashion… this internship facilitated immense intellectual, technical, personal, and interpersonal development for me.’
Shaquielle Dias (Jamaica) – 2017 STARS Program
‘I whole-heartedly recommend STARS to any student who is contemplating a future in research. It has been a comprehensive summer in not only providing research experience but also preparing me for applying for graduate school and thriving while in a program.’
Kamau Bridgeman (Barbados) – 2017 intern at Sagicor Life Insurance
‘This has been an immensely rewarding experience, I have gained a lot in my time at Sagicor… I learnt a great deal about how the network’s hardware side functions to deliver service to the entire Barbados branch as well and communicate with the outside internet.’
In the period 2014-2022, CADSTI-NE facilitated 60 internships for students from the Caribbean at the following 24 host organizations:
Alexion Pharmaceuticals (USA)
Aphios Corporation (USA)
Boston University (USA)
CAMP4 Therapeutics (USA)
Cogen Therapeutics (USA)
Emera Caribbean (Barbados)
Foursquare Rum Distillery (Barbados)
GE (UK)
Genesis Engineering Solutions (USA)
Harris Paints (Jamaica)
HealthPointe Solutions (USA)
Lenstec (Barbados)
Ocular Therapeutix (USA)
Peloton International (Canada)
Precisyx (USA)
Sagicor Life Insurance (Barbados, Trinidad, Jamaica, USA)
Synageva BioPharma (USA)
TraceLink (USA)
Trinidad Systems Limited (Trinidad)
UCSD – STARS (USA)
U Tech (Jamaica)
VML (USA)
Voyager Therapeutics (USA)
We are tremendously grateful to the host organizations for providing these transformative experiences for our Caribbean students! CADSTI-NE plans to facilitate additional internships each summer. Please contact dsah@cadsti-ne.org for further information.
Where are the interns now?
Shamone Fine
Currently, I am a senior technologist on the analytical operations team at Turnstone biologics, a biotech company developing viral immunotherapies and TIL therapies for cancer. In the past few years, I have been able to work in different fields in biopharma, from neuroscience to cancer, as well as on different teams (R&D and TechOps); these different experiences have helped me gain exposure to the culture and business of biotech companies and make a definitive choice on my career path. Next fall, I am hoping to attend graduate school as a PhD candidate in a pharmacology or molecular biology program.
My journey to this decision would not be the same without the summer internships I participated in through CADSTI-NE from 2017 to 2019. These internships helped me learn more about the drug discovery and development process and learn techniques that would not be taught in an undergraduate lab. As my internships were lab-based and involved research, they gave me the best exposure to the concept of STEM, how each of its elements align, and how the skills and learnings from STEM education can be translated to everyday life and success in any field. These internships would not have been possible without the CADSTI-NE team. Likewise, my scholarship for undergrad and my current job would not have been possible without the CADSTI-NE network.
Matthew Clarke
I currently work as a Software Development Engineer in Test at TraceLink in Wilmington, Massachusetts. In my current role, I am responsible for testing new software features through the formulation of detailed test plans and the writing of automated tests. I am most excited for the upcoming release of the product that I have been working on since my second summer internship with TraceLink and have continued to work on as a full-time employee.
My first internship at TraceLink as a QA intern in 2020 was established through the CADSTI-NE internship program. This experience led me to change my career goals from wanting to become a software developer to roles which I felt offered more cross-functional collaboration such as a test engineer and project manager. This real-world experience helped me to realize how much I enjoyed the interpersonal interaction in the workplace that these roles offered – a perspective I would not have received simply from school. TraceLink invited me back for a second internship in 2021. During this internship round, I honed my skills of effectively identifying problems before they occurred which is a necessary skill to be an effective test engineer.
The CADSTI-NE and SPISE network has been integral to my educational and professional development. I was first introduced to programming at SPISE and obtained my TraceLink internship through CADSTI-NE which connected me to the company that provided me with the first step for my career after graduation.