Gaining industry experience
Rebecca ‘Becca’ Miceli ’19 prepares for graduation with biotech internship
Hometown: Slingerlands, N.Y.
Major: Biochemistry
Winternship: Abveris Antibody (Canton, Mass.)
Funding source: Blakely Bundy Fund
Seeking out experience: “I found this internship through a general search of biotechnology companies in my area. I was looking for an internship that I could work at for eight hours per week from January through May for my public health minor capstone. I decided very quickly that Abveris was the place where I could get the most hands-on experience possible.”
All hands on deck: “Abveris is a fairly new biotechnology company that is undergoing rapid expansion. It is very interesting working in such a small company with such a big output. There are only 17 employees, so I am able to see the many areas for which each individual is responsible for maintaining in order for the company to run smoothly and efficiently.”
Learning the lab: “All my biochemistry courses at Wheaton have helped me have a successful internship. My previous internship at Albany Medical College gave me a great background in understanding the molecular bio aspects of my internship at Abveris. My independent research at Wheaton College with Professor Gaudet also helped me prepare for this internship, allowing me to learn problem solving in the laboratory setting.”
Network growth: “I am hoping to attend graduate school to further my studies in the field of medicinal chemistry. This internship is a great opportunity for me because not only does it give me the space to work with others in a biotech startup, but it is opening up an opportunity to network with the many biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies that Abveris works with on a daily basis. At the completion of my education, I hope to work in a pharmaceutical company in drug discovery and development.”
Becca is a distance runner on the women’s cross country and track and field teams. She has served as a resident advisor for three years and is a member of the Outdoors Club and the Wheaton American Chemical Society. She previously interned in the cancer and cell biology lab at Albany Medical College and in the lab of Wheaton chemistry professor Hilary Gaudet, working on cancer research.