Co-op Offers True Mastery of the Discipline BY MARY SPIRO
Many would argue that while the PhD program focuses a student
advisor and a research mentor at the host company. Co-op
toward a career in academic research, the purpose of a master’s
experiences can last from six to nine months, and, at the end,
degree is to kick start a student’s career in industry. However, most
students write their thesis on their industry experience.
science and engineering master’s degree programs require university
So far, one student, Andrew Beamesderfer in Materials Sciences
based laboratory research experience similar to that of their
and Engineering, has completed the pilot program. He spent the
doctoral candidates; and industry co-operative education (co-ops)
summer and fall of 2016 working at BD Diagnostics in Sparks,
programs are mostly available to undergraduates, before they have
MD. As of this writing, two more students are participating in co-
even completed their bachelor’s degrees.
ops at MedImmune in Gaithersburg, MD.
Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology Co-Operative
“Participating in the INBT Masters CO-OP program has been
Master’s Education Program offers a richer experience for master’s
an invaluable experience,” Beamesderfer said. “I’ve been able to
degree students interested in industry and provides more thor-
gain experience in a number of areas, while building upon the
oughly trained candidates to industry partners. The INBT Co-Op
technical background provided by Johns Hopkins. Although I
is available to students in the departments of Materials Science
learned a lot about the technical side of my project, I feel that
and Engineering and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and
the power of this program is being immersed in a company to
gives students intense industry training while allowing them to
take away lessons about global product development, intellectual
complete the requirements of their discipline’s degree.
property, flexibility and prioritization, interacting with outside
Launched in 2016, INBT’s Co-Op takes the place of the usual
companies, and most importantly leadership. The INBT Master’s
laboratory research and thesis component of the traditional mas-
Co-Op program teaches much more than a classroom- or even an
ter’s program, explained INBT’s Director of Corporate Partner-
academic research-based program. (It) immerses you in a company,
ships, Tom Fekete, who helps oversee the program
allowing you to take away a number of lessons that are simply not
“Our co-op provides real-life work experience after they have
available in a traditional master’s program.”
completed the undergraduate training,” Fekete said. “The academic
Fekete said several other nearby companies are interested in
training is the same, but when the students gradate, they will have
hosting co-op participants, and he expects the program to expand
industrially relevant research experience and a better understanding
as INBT adds more industry partners, who will, in turn, generate
of how work gets done in the industrial environment.”
more interest from students entering these two departmental
At Johns Hopkins, the master’s degree program usually takes an additional year (or maybe two) after a student finishes their
engineering master’s degree programs. To find out more about the INBT Co-Operative Master’s
bachelor’s degree. Those interested in the INBT Co-Op may
Education Program, visit http://inbt.jhu.edu/education/graduate/
apply during their first semester as a master’s student. If selected
co-operative-co-op-education-program/
to participate in the program, students are paired with a faculty
2016 Nano-Bio Report 11
