Science Communications

UChicagoTech

This internship is no longer available.

Mentor

Rhianna Wisniewski, Assistant Director, Communications and PR, UChicagoTech

Background

UChicagoTech (UCT) helps to transform invention-based innovations into products, services, and ventures for the benefit of society. UChicagoTech provides support and guidance for hundreds of faculty members and researchers at the University, and UCT’s communications and marketing efforts help to translate that research, developing the messaging and materials necessary to attract the attention of industry and investors.

Internship Description

The intern(s) will learn the process of creating and executing a strategic communications plan, and the strategy behind developing marketing materials, all while contributing to UChicagoTech’s print and digital communication projects that are part of the overall communication and marketing efforts of the office.  Those projects may include:

• Editing and writing technology summaries targeted at increasing industry exposure

• Developing website and social media content

• Writing enterprise stories highlighting the impact UCT support is having on researchers and on helping to build capacity for additional innovation

Students will end their internship with professional work samples demonstrating their skills in science communications, and an understanding of how to help organizations build brand recognition and increase awareness about their services. The intern(s) will benefit UChicagoTech by providing content for its communication platforms and assistance in strategic communications and marketing.

While the internship is structured around science communications at UChicagoTech, strong communications and marketing skills are vital to having an impact at any organization and can be easily applied to other professional settings.

Specific Objectives

• Learn how to translate complex research into dynamic science stories and other communications.

• Gain an understanding of how to market research and technology to industry and investors.

• Assist with the planning, writing, and posting of content for the UChicagoTech website.

• Receive intensive writing and journalism coaching from a former newspaper and magazine journalist, including training on critical communications/writing skills, including:

  • Researching for media content,

  • Techniques and protocol for interviewing sources,

  • Content types and structure, and how to choose the right structure and format for each platform, and

  • Elements and the structure of storytelling across written, social media, and other platforms.

• Leave the internship with published professional writing samples that can be shown to potential employers to demonstrate their communications skills.

Qualifications

The intern(s) must possess basic writing skills, be open to receiving constructive feedback on writing and other communications assignments, be well-versed in Microsoft Office, and be willing to learn new skills.