LHSI Intern: Lab Intern, molecular mechanisms of deafness

Program Summary:  

This internship is offered as a part of the Life-Health Sciences Internship Program (LHSI). This program connects 125 IUI undergraduates per year with internships on campus with faculty and staff in a variety of health and science related campus areas/programs. All LHSI internships start in August 2025 and end in May 2026 and are paid $13/hour for up to 10 hours per week. Work-study is accepted but not required.

Supervisor: Dr. Bo Zhao

Department/Office: Medicine; Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery

Overview of the internship site: We study the underlying molecular mechanisms of deafness. Hearing loss is one of the most common health problems, caused by noise, aging, disease and heredity. In the United States, 2 to 3 out of every 1000 children are born with a detectable level of hearing loss. Most of them are caused by genetic mutations. To investigate the mechanisms of hearing loss, we study mice with genetically modifications that are models for the human disease. Using biochemical methods, we try to identify potential therapeutic drug targets to treat some forms of hearing loss.

Website for more information: https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/27145/zhao-bo

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: protein purification etc.

Work Environment and Dress Code: The work is performed primarily in a lab with dress code: No open-toed shoes, ballet flats, shorts, or short skirts are allowed in the laboratory for all biosafety levels.

Hours per week: 10, scheduling is flexible within regular work hours

By the end of the LHSI program, you will:

·        Carefully consider, explore, and articulate your career goals, including an analysis of how you arrived at that path and what steps you need to take next. (Community Contributor, Communicator)

·        Understand your role and strengths on a professional team and analyze who you would like to become as a professional. (Communicator)

·        Gain and strengthen skills relevant to next steps after graduation, such as communication, collaboration, teamwork, analysis/synthesis/evaluation, independence, confronting/challenging failure, problem-solving and perseverance, and constructive criticism. (Problem Solver, Communicator)

·        Convey ideas and knowledge effectively through an ePortfolio and presentation of your internship work. (Problem Solver, Communicator)

·        Set and meet your own additional learning goals identified with your supervisor.

LHSI Qualifications  

·        must be graduating May 2027 or after (usually a current freshman or sophomore in Spring 2025) 

·        Current full-time IUI undergraduate

·        minimum overall GPA of 2.0 

·        All majors welcome

To apply:

LHSI accepts at least 125 interns per year. Complete the application for LHSI at lhsi.indianapolis.iu.edu and select 3-4 internship sites on that application. All available sites are listed in Handshake and will start with the position title “LHSI Intern.” You will meet with at least 2 of these if selected for interviews.