Metcalf Clinic Technical Advisor

 

Office of the Executive Vice President for Science, Innovation, National Laboratories, and Global Initiatives


Mentor

Julia Lane Assistant Vice President for Science, Office of the Executive Vice President for Science, Innovation, National Laboratories, and Global Initiatives

Background

The Science Strategy Team, within the Office of the Executive Vice President for Science, Innovation, National Laboratories, and Global Initiatives, collaborates with leadership, deans, and faculty to shape the strategic scientific and technological direction of the University. The team enables deep, seamless collaboration between science initiatives and external partners to advance scholarship, discoveries, and technological developments at a global scale. The Metcalf Clinic is an experiential internship program for undergraduate students focused on providing practical team-based experiences, designed to prepare them for future science and technology careers. During the 6-month internship, students work in teams on a real-world project sponsored by a company or external organization under the guidance of a technical mentor. As part of the program, students build hands-on experience working with a professional organization and take a deep dive into their field of interest. Student teams will present the results of their project at the end of the internship period. Project sponsors benefit from access to talent scouting, proof of concept in cutting-edge technology topics, and brand-building. Student project teams are supported by faculty or technical mentors at UChicago to ensure projects are using the latest techniques and best practices.

Externship Description

The Metcalf Clinic Technical Advisor acts as a mentor and technical advisor to the Metcalf student team. This is an opportunity to gain experience mentoring a team of driven undergraduate students, while working with an industry partner on a collaborative project. Projects may include research, data analysis, or proof of concepts such as applying methods from recently published research to real-world problems or data.

Spring Quarter Student Projects:

  • Geneva Lake Astrophysics and STEAM (GLAS): Work on the Lakeshore Environmental Night Sky Sensor Project which monitors the sky brightness of the Geneva Lake area.
  • Hollister: Execute a literature review to develop an understanding of how Hollister may rethink the life cycle of SUMPs (single use medical products) for ostomy care.
  • Lumena Energy: Design an algorithm using the AWS Deep Racer car that will enable it to navigate the roadways of Project Kandor (a 1/16th scale model city showing Lumena’s vision of a sustainable future) and live stream its feed.

 

Specific Objectives

  • Oversee a student team (2-5 students) as they work on a project sponsored by an external partner.
  • Provide technical guidance to students on best practices and approaches to accomplishing project goals.
  • Work with students to develop project milestones and deliverables (e.g., final presentation).
  • Meet with project sponsor (company or external partner) and student team biweekly to provide updates and ask questions.
  • Oversee weekly team standup, answer questions from students via email/messaging platform.


Qualifications

  • Current UChicago master’s or PhD student
  • Programming experience in C, C++, Java, JavaScript, or Python.
  • Experience with data visualization.
  • Expertise in clean energy, biotech, or engineering fields.

 

Why this externship?

This is an opportunity to gain practical experience mentoring a team of undergraduate students, while working with an industry partner on collaborative use-inspired research projects. Externs will receive guidance on leadership, mentoring, and project management skills. Projects may include research, data analysis, or proof of concepts such as applying methods from recently published research to real-world problems or data.

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