2023 BME Internship Report

Department of Biomedical Engineering

Internship Program for Biomedical Engineering

2023

interns and clients outside of Whitaker Hall

Experiential learning can equip students with vital skills and aptitudes like design thinking, problem solving, communication, and teamwork that they will need to be successful as future engineers and scholars.

2023 clients

Auragent

The WashU BME internship program seeks to prepare our undergraduate students for the broadest employment opportunities in engineering and technology. WashU BME interns undertake a 10-week internship located in the Greater St. Louis Area and have the opportunity to attend other learning experiences such as tours, panels and more.

48

10+

local companies participating

faculty director – joseph klaesner

katie auyeung

class of 2026 | readout health

What are some things you learned from the internship?

The biggest thing I learned was how to problem solve. At nearly every step of my project, I was faced with a skill to learn or modification to make. I had to learn to adjust quickly and come up with solutions based on what I already knew.

What projects did you enjoy working on?

I did a lot of mechanical testing and research with the breath ketone device, experimenting with different environmental factors to see if I could replicate in-field failures. The purpose was to isolate the root cause of sensor failures, and I had the freedom to write my own procedures and build whatever I needed to carry the experiment out.

lleyton martin

class of 2024 | mddriven

What was your favorite experience during the internship?

Developing an application that will benefit those in this company greatly as well as being part of a team that encouraged each other to complete their goals.

What advice would you give to a student for succeeding in an internship?

Do not go in with set goals. This internship is extremely dynamic and your role is very unlikely to stay the same throughout. Be open to anything as it might be a new skill which could be useful in the future.

annika avula

class of 2025 | auragent bioscience

What projects did you enjoy working on?

I really enjoyed working on a design project that involved the automation of a lab process. As a dual degree with little experience creating physical prototypes of digital designs until just this past year, it was really fun to go to the shop and work with a laser and wood cutter, as well as animate a motor and end up with a unique tool that started from nothing! I also enjoyed using AI to create a data analysis software that helped the lab team immensely, allowing for more efficiency and more time spent running important experiments.

What are some things you learned from the internship?

Through this internship, I’ve gained real-world experience working in a startup and been able to see what the day-today looks like for every member of the team.

haynes rosson

class of 2024 | mddriven

What was your favorite experience during the internship?

I spent a lot of time coding data analysis programs during my time at MDDriven. One of the best experiences had to be when, after working on a chunk for close to two weeks, I finally discovered a small error that was causing everything to come out wrong, and running after correcting that it working perfectly.

What advice would you give to a student for succeeding in an internship?

Come in ready to work and be excited. Some days you will be tired, somedays you might be a little bored, but work through it and complete your goals and tasks because the feeling of accomplishment for completing an actual device or procedure for the real world is so much better than the feeling of accomplishment for school work.

mihir shah

class of 2024 | sentiar

What projects did you enjoy working on?

I worked on a project that involved extracting and analyzing data from clinical trials involving the company’s augmented reality headset. It was really cool seeing how my project was able to interact with real data from the hospital. I was happy to develop a tool that allows for quick insight on the headset’s functionality, ultimately allowing the company to determine any areas of their product to improve upon.

What advice would you give to a student for succeeding in an internship?

Ask questions anytime you are curious or confused. It’s important to remember that as an intern you are not expected to know everything. You are at your company to both learn and contribute. Asking questions helps you grow, and also shows maturity in your communication skills.