I liked how the work culture was and how friendly everybody were.
What I wish was different
I think the research I did could have been more hardware.
Advice
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Financial Management and Procurement Services Intern
June 2023 • Lemont, IL
What I liked
The work environment is very welcoming and inclusive. My supervisors are always willing to assist me and provide me with career resources.
What I wish was different
After a couple of months on the job, I think I would have preferred an on-site internship over remote. I also wish it were more rotational to dive into other departments. The work can get repetitive at times.
Advice
Do not be afraid to ask questions. Be curious and explore every possible opportunity at the lab.
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Cybersecurity Research Intern
June - August 2020 • Lemont, IL
What I liked
Argonne did a great job of virtualizing the internship experience, including network sessions, informational talks, and research presentations. All of this was done in a very short timeframe, which was impressive.
What I wish was different
Advice
Take advantage of everything you can. So much of the experience is learning about Argonne and gaining knowledge where you can. If all you do is your project, you'll get less out of it.
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Intern
May - July 2020 • Lemont, IL
What I liked
I got to work on a real cutting edge project and learned a lot along the way.
What I wish was different
I wish that I could have gone on site to work.
Advice
No one expects you to know everything. If you have questions, ask them!
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Autonomous Vehicle Research Intern
June - August 2019 • Lemont, IL
What I liked
The whole environment of Argonne National Laboratory was great, all the staff was very helpful and smart but didn't put too much pressure on me and my fellow interns. I got to start a research project of my own on top of the initial task. At Argonne, they treated the interns like fully employed workers and did not talk down to us. Great experience highly recommend to anyone in the STEM field as they research a wide variety of things. They had a lot of opportunities for other interns to connect to each other and even provided weekly shuttles into the city of Chigaco for free.
What I wish was different
During my summer the on-campus dorms at Argonne were under renovation so I had to find other ways to get onto the lab. However, the new buildings should be ready by next summer.
Advice
Come with an open mind, a good attitude, and a passion for the research you will do. This position has no true assignments, everything you accomplish is from your own drive to figure things out. Research is hard and trying to solve a problem no one else has can be exhausting but rewarding. Get ready to think critically and actually learn crucial skills for the STEM field.
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Co-op Technical
October 2018 • Lemont, IL
What I liked
Given the opportunity to use technical skills in multiple fields (software development, chemistry, physics, mechanical engineering, nuclear engineering)
What I wish was different
Advice
Don't be afraid to ask your superiors questions. They are all very smart and know a lot about their specific field and other fields as well.
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Student intern
September 2018 - April 2019 • Lemont, IL
What I liked
I loved the environment. Everyone was nice and supportive and they enjoyed teaching. There were many different divisions in the lab area and while we did not choose, there were always different seminars for different things going on.
We got to work on a wide variety of project releted to engineering materials which can be multi disciplinary. It also showed us what its like to go on a project and how to go about completeing it.
What I wish was different
Nothing, it was probably one of the best 30 weeks of my life so far.
Advice
Always ask questions if u cant find an answer to it.
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Intern
June - August 2019 • Lemont, IL
What I liked
The opportunity to be part of a professional environment within the field that I am interested in going in to.
What I wish was different
I wish I had managed my time better and gotten my project done at a more even pace.
Advice
Be very sure to make connections through any internship opportunity like this one, since these connections are the most valuable part of these internships, but only if you choose to seek them out.
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Physics Research Intern
June - August 2019 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
Everyone was super nice and wanted you to succeed. There is a lot of interesting research being done and a lot of networking that you can do.
What I wish was different
I wish that the internship had been longer.
Advice
I would definitely recommend people to network as much as you can. Everyone sees potential in each other there.
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Co-op Intern
July 2018 • Lemont, IL
What I liked
It gave me a lot of great experience with different types of writing. I get to write articles, copy edit works, and do miscellaneous tasks such as formatting documents for blind accessibility.
What I wish was different
Honestly, I wish there was more work for me to do. Sometimes, the project flow is slow, and I really like staying busy, so I wish I could have more to do.
Advice
Argonne is so much fun, and it is really worth taking advantage of all the events that happen around the campus on a daily basis.
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Research aide
May - August 2019 • Lemont, IL
What I liked
It was a really fun job. Great environment, fun events. Had a project to myself. Treated like any other employee.
What I wish was different
Could've had a little more to do. Some days were spent not doing much
Advice
Learn from all of the people there! There's a lot of intelligence in one place
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Science Undergraduate Laboratory Intern
June - August 2019 • Lemont, IL
What I liked
This was a great experience working in a lab under experienced and knowledgeable scientists. The SULI program through the DOE provided lots of resources to help with career development, graduate school, etc. I gained a lot of valuable skills in the electrochemical field, got to work with state of the art equipment and people. Was a great summer opportunity!
What I wish was different
While the program was great, I wish there would have been more specific information about what exactly I would be doing before I arrived on the lab for the summer.
Advice
Wherever you end up for an internship, have the confidence that you deserve to be there and have earned your position. Imposter syndrome is real but if you combat it with positive self-talk early on, it will make your experience better by allowing you to feel more comfortable.
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Summer Intern
May - August 2019 • Lemont, IL
What I liked
I gained valuable experience that I had not received prior to that summer. I was given independent responsibilities and was free to explore my own ideas.
