What I Did on My Summer Vacation

By Benjamin Preis

I jumped up with excitement as I read the description for a summer internship with Fisher Science Education, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific. It may seem like an unusual reaction to an internship. But from a long, daunting list of opportunities, I had found a position that sounded fun.

After a thorough interview process, I began my internship one week after finals. My fellow summer interns and I were greeted with great excitement as we were the first interns Thermo Fisher Scientific had seen in years. We met with our respective supervisors and mentors; who would be guiding us through the summer. I was the only intern in Fisher Science Education, and I am positive I had the most fun of any intern.

My goal for the summer was to create YouTube™ videos explaining how Fisher Science Education™ products work. I combined my knowledge of science — I’m a physics major at Tufts University — with my experience in film production. My magnum opus was a series of four videos explaining the benefits and uses of an app called - ChemAssist™.

ChemAssist was created by the Fisher Science Education team to help chemistry teachers keep their chemical closets organized and safe; my job was to encourage teachers to use the app and help them understand how it works.

In addition to my project, I was completely integrated within my team. Team members brought me to meetings with other Thermo Fisher Scientific employees, and I had the opportunity to visit a high school and see how Fisher Science Education makes an impact. I was also able to meet executives within the company.

My time at Thermo Fisher Scientific was very rewarding. Not only did I have the opportunity to put my education and experience to work, I also learned a lot. The Fisher Science Education team provided me with an inside look at the workings of a Fortune 500 company, all while empowering me to affect change in classrooms around the world.