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WashU rising senior Fiona Sun opted to intern at St. Louis-based startup Equine SmartBit for two reasons. Firstly: When would she have another opportunity to engage with horses? And secondly: “They truly understand their craft.”
“What the team at Equine SmartBit has achieved is incredibly innovative,” stated Sun, a dual-degree student pursuing biomedical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. “I recognized there was so much I could absorb from them regarding biomedical engineering and the entrepreneurial landscape. It was also evident that I would not be merely an ‘intern,’ but rather someone who could significantly contribute to their mission.”
Sun is involved in the St. Louis Internship Program for Biomedical Engineering, one of various WashU initiatives that support substantial career opportunities at local startups, enterprises, and nonprofits. The BME program provides interns with a $6,800 summer allowance and hosts panels, tours, and networking opportunities. Numerous internship alumni have begun their careers in St. Louis.
“Our BME students cherish their experiences at startups,” remarked Joe Klaesner, a professor of practice at McKelvey Engineering and director of the St. Louis Internship Program for Biomedical Engineering. “When you’re part of a small firm, you can have lunch with the CEO a couple of times a week. Recently, Fiona had the chance to present to venture capitalists about the product she was developing. How many interns can say they’ve done that? In a large corporation, it simply wouldn’t happen.”
At Equine SmartBit, Sun is crafting a case for the firm’s device, a type of smartwatch that swiftly and conveniently captures horse biometrics. She allocates her time between her home, the Spartan Light Metal Products Makerspace, and the barn at the Fairmount Park racetrack. This role utilizes her skills in 3D modeling and has driven her to acquire new proficiency in electrical engineering.
“I have the chance to function in diverse environments and view things from different perspectives,” Sun mentioned.
On this occasion, Sun and Equine SmartBit engineer Riley Silfies are evaluating their device on a racehorse named Rhythm Section to determine if it accurately monitors the horse’s heart rate and temperature.
A year earlier, Silfies held Sun’s internship. Now he works at the company and mentors her.
“Fiona serves as a second pair of hands and a logical sounding board. Her approach to certain challenges and her background in biophysics have been extremely valuable,” Silfies said.
Shower Zhang, co-founder of Equine SmartBit, expressed that having Silfies followed by Sun has significantly benefitted the company.
“We thought we hit the jackpot with Riley,” Shower said. “Now with Fiona, it feels like we’ve won again. She is an incredibly quick learner and eager to dive in.”
Sun is uncertain about her career trajectory after graduating next May, but she asserted that her internship has equipped her for whatever lies ahead.
“As a BME student, I attend numerous lectures and associated labs, but what we’re doing at Equine SmartBit is unprecedented and thus absent from any textbook,” Sun shared. “This internship has demonstrated how to implement classroom knowledge in various novel situations that haven’t been imagined yet.”
About the producers of Career Catalysts
Zach Trabitz is a news intern in University Marketing & Communications at WashU. This summer, he has reported on the LIGHT public health summer camp; conducted surveys of WashU students and faculty about their preferred art venues; interviewed researchers on the hazards posed by ticks and mosquitoes; and profiled WashU faculty and students. He is pursuing a major in art history in Arts & Sciences and serves as an editor at Student Life newspaper.
Cole Bernstein is a multimedia intern in University Marketing & Communications at WashU. This summer, he has created a “Field Notes” video regarding CET Film Production at FAMU, a program abroad in Prague. Bernstein, majored in film studies in Arts & Sciences, wrote and served as assistant director of the film “A Bird in the Field,” which debuted at the prestigious St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase.
The post Career Catalysts: WashU stipends fund internships, fuel professional growth appeared first on The Source.
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