BIOTRAIN INTERN ELIZABETH HOBBS
A rmed with a notepad and a tall mug of tea (normally Chai, but she’d opt for green tea once in a while), Elizabeth Hobbs stepped onto HudsonAlpha’s campus, ready to start her summer as a Communications Intern in Educa- tional Outreach’s Biotrain program. “I was very impressed that HudsonAlpha has an established internship program,” Hobbs said. “Biotrain offers many resources and a week-long orientation for interns to learn more about the Institute.” The rising Auburn University junior was one of 37 students selected to participate in the program during the summer of 2022. The Biotrain program offers undergradu- ates the opportunity to connect classwork with real-world job experience and gain skills and knowledge that will pre- pare them for careers in biotechnology and related fields. Elizabeth focused on the “related fields” part. As a communications major stepping into the biotechnology and bioinformatics world, Elizabeth was unsure what she
was getting into. “I had no clue what to expect and was nervous entering a Biotech Institute
alongside accomplished STEM majors,” Hobbs said. “But, that first day was surreal and immediately put my mind at ease. The campus was breathtaking and refresh- ing. The people were kind, welcoming, and supportive. Everyone was so thrilled to have us there.” The HudsonAlpha Biotrain Internship provides under- graduate through master’s level graduate students with experiences ranging from in-depth laboratory research to biotechnology marketing and business strategy. In 2022, it included creating a communications campaign from the ground up, literally.
2022 Biotrain class
“I dedicated most of my internship to the green- house,” Hobbes noted. “I worked with multiple people on the communications team to help execute the commu- nications campaign for the new greenhouse built on HudsonAlpha’s campus.” The 14,000-square-foot glass greenhouse has two lab spaces, seven grow rooms, and several technologi- cally advanced features not found in other greenhouses. A dream for HudsonAlpha’s Center for Plant Science and Sustainable Agriculture , the scientists who work there, and their interns. But for a communications intern, it was
Auburn University student, Elizabeth Hobbs
HUDSONALPHA INSTITUTE FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY
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