LHSI Intern: Laboratory Assistant, chronic kidney disease impacts on the skeleton

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. Matt Allen

Department/Office: Medicine; Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology

Overview of the internship site: Our laboratory studies how chronic kidney disease affects the skeleton and is developing approaches to reduce bone fracture risk. Kidney disease causes dramatic changes to the skeleton. Our current studies are using both clinical and pre-clinical (animal) models to examine changes that occur with kidney disease and treatment.

Website for more information: https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/5035/allen-matthew

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: The main laboratory techniques include bone imaging (using computed tomography), bone histology, and bone mechanical testing. Duties could potentially include working with animals if the intern is interested in learning.

Work Environment and Dress Code: The work is performed primarily in a lab setting with dress code close toed shoes, no shorts

Hours per week: flexible based on student needs (10 maximum), 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.