Pine Manor College Senior Internships
Lead to Good Jobs for Biology Graduates

Majoring in Biology continues to be a popular choice at PMC. The strength of the program is reflected in Biology majors' internships and the jobs they are offered upon graduation, such as the following from this year's graduating class.

Sarah E. Brooks ’01, a transfer student from the University of Iowa, spent the fall working as a lab technician at the Dana Farber Cancer Research Center. She was asked to continue her work during the spring, and before graduation was offered a two year appointment as the lab director. Dana Farber is planning on publishing the results of Sarah's research, and Sarah is currently planning on going to medical school at the end of her two-year commitment.

Katherine M. Mc Dermott ’01 worked at Brigham and Women's Hospital primarily in the autopsy labs. There she acquired experience in forensics that she hopes to put to good use as she follows her sister's footsteps in the Brookline Police Academy.

Shannon M. Medeiros ’01 interned at Carney Hospital, working in Health Express, an outpatient, nonemergency clinic. Her internship sparked an interest in biotechnology, and upon graduation she took a job as a technician with Collagenesis, a biotech firm propagating human tissue for use in experimentation and surgery.

Dede C. Mihedji ’01 spent her semester at Planned Parenthood, assisting in the laboratories and with patient followup. She also was asked to continue her work during the spring semester. After graduation, she was accepted at the Minority Enrichment Program in Medicine and Science at the University of Chicago's prestigious summer program, and today she is preparing to go on to medical school.

Jennifer L. Neves ’01 spent last summer and the fall semester working in the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab doing DNA analysis and PCR work which proves invaluable in matching family members, proving paternity, and placing people at crime scenes. Jennifer was asked to stay on in the lab at the end of her internship and will be certified as a DNA analysis technician this fall. Some of the research that Jennifer did will be published by the State Police this fall. After graduation in May, she was hired by Iontrack as a sales and analysis manager. She now is contemplating graduate school in the fall of ’03.

Yvonne Riley-Poku ’00 spent her last semester at PMC working at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital where she was hired after she graduated in December. She also applied to and was accepted by the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, where she begins classes in September.

Biology Professor Elizabeth Gardner said that she was very pleased with the accomplishments of her students. She added that "PMC's internship program validates the entire four-year effort, with its emphasis on the application of learned knowledge and skills in real-life settings. The internships and portfolios, which are required for all students, help our students to sharpen their professional skills and abilities and make them extremely competitive in today's market." Profesor Gardner believes the internship program is "an integral part of the overall educational process of helping our students to transform themselves."