LHSI Intern: Student researcher, lung immunology and inflammation

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. Homer L. Twigg III

Department/Office: Medicine; Department of Medicine/Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care

Overview of the internship site: We study lung immunology and inflammation and assess how microbes (bacteria and viruses) affect this in humans, with an emphasis on the aging and HIV-infected population. We examine the bacteria you are colonized with (your microbiome) and the viruses you are colonized with (your virome).  While many of these organisms are beneficial to us, others can cause chronic inflammation, which is at the root of many human diseases. Our studies focus on how changes in the human microbiome and virome contribute to diseases in a normal aging population and an HIV-infected population on treatment. We also study how viral proteins and genes can persist in your body in protected particles called extracellular vesicles.  These persistent viral components can stimulate the immune system leading to chronic inflammation and disease.  We are currently working on how persistence of SARS-CoV-2 virus causes “long COVID”, including post-COVID lung disease.

We also run a clinical bronchoalveolar lavage lab where we get specimens from patients with suspected pulmonary diseases. Any left over material is stored for research purposes. Many trainees in my lab have looked at bronchoalveolar lavage lavage in a specific disease process as their project. This includes learning how to process and analyze a clinical bronchoalveolar lavage specimen.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Cell separation, cell culture, measurement of cytokines and chemokines (inflammatory mediators), and assisting with lung bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage processing (cytospin, cellular analysis, specimen aliquotting and storage)

Work Environment and Dress Code: The work is performed primarily in a lab setting with dress code of appropriate lab wear - no sandals, no dresses.

Hours per week: 10, scheduling is While we are very flexible regarding hours, research bronchoscopies tend to be performed on Wednesdays. That is also when a lot of basic science research occurs. This is the best day to be in the lab.

Project-specific qualifications: This is a basic science lab with human materials, so students in the lab are required to have HIPAA training and training in working with biological materials. These are online training courses that can be accomplished in less than a day.

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.