The Cornell Nanotechnology Facility research internship was a very tangible and satisfying experience. I was picked by the same professor and mentor that I worked with over the summer. I saw both of them many times and I was able to iterate my research with my mentor, while we worked together to characterize a design. Besides the research itself, the city of Ithaca was beautiful and full of life. Waterfalls and gorges cut through the campus and downtown and numerous hiking trails were nearby.
What I wish was different
We were awarded the opportunity to learn how to safely use about a dozen different machines for fabricating micro devices at the CNF. This training took two full weeks to complete, so it was starting to wear me down until I got to my project. It's important training, but it's also a large information dump, and I had to relearn some things before I perfected my fabrication method. I would've preferred a more specialized, but shorter instruction just for the tools needed to make my device, but I understand why it was necessary for us to learn in bulk.
Advice
Seek out the help of the CNF staff often, once you have scoped out a problem on your own. The staff members are all very friendly and some have over twenty years of experience with the specialized machines, and you can cut down on a lot of trial and error by enlisting their help.
