The InBaltimore Internship Program, which is part of Johns Hopkins’ Life Design Lab, is designed to increase undergrads’ involvement in Baltimore City and help strengthen the local community. For 10 weeks this summer, 13 students across Hopkins worked 40 hours a week at nonprofits, government agencies, and companies around the city. Integrative Learning and Life Design provides a $4,000 stipend and professional development.
Meet two of the Hopkins Engineers who participated this summer:
Grace Noh, Class of 2026
Major: Biomedical engineering, with a focus on imaging and medical devices
Internship site: CoapTech, a medical device company that created the PUMA System, the first FDA-cleared, ultrasound-based solution for bedside feeding tube placement
Role: Noh is a product-engineering intern working on in-house production, paperwork for regulatory (FDA/ISO guidelines), and editing CAD drawings and sketches. Additionally, she is working on the “PUMA NG project,” which involves research and development of a nasogastric feeding tube, and the “GI Joe Project,” which aims to develop a biorealistic training model that reduces the overall cost and weight.
Takeaways: “Through my internship experience, I have felt that I have a firmer understanding of what kind of environment I would like to work in. I realized I love working in a fast-paced environment with a small, tight-knit group of engineers and clinicians. I believe that this experience is shaping my perspective on what I want for my future career.”
Marvin Larweh, Class of 2025
Major: Biomedical engineering, with a focus on biomedical data science
Internship site: Infinite Biomedical Technologies (IBT) a medical device company that focuses on making technology for upper-limb amputees. This company was founded in 1997 out of the lab of Nitish Thakor, professor of biomedical engineering at JHU. Their products include form-fitting batteries, electrodes, and advanced control systems to drive myoelectric upper limb prosthesis for those with limb loss.
Role: Larweh is designing research test protocols and setups to compare prosthetic control strategies using hardware circuitry and Python software. He uses the data collected from experiments to generate relevant statistical analysis and metrics that give initial insight as to how each control strategy compares with the others and informs next steps for the project
Takeaways: “This experience has allowed me to apply a lot of what I learned through Design Team in a practical sense. I got a lot of experience with designing test protocols, which has been quite helpful when doing so for IBT. My Design Team project was heavily focused on electronics, which helps with the hardware setups I do for testing. I’ve even found myself pulling up some old Arduino codes I helped work on to inform the new ones I design for IBT. The internship has challenged me to be more independent in my work while also collaborating with others. I’m especially grateful knowing that the work I’m doing contributes to bettering people’s lives, starting right here in Baltimore.”
Alina Pan, Class of 2027
Major: Cognitive science and computer science
Internship site: Clymb, an emotional wellness software company
Role: As a marketing intern, Pan researches pediatric hospitals as potential new clients, compiles information, and conducts interviews. She is learning how to build an ideal customer profile, and she designs website landing pages and writes content for various audiences.
Takeaways: “I’m really interested in emotional wellness software because it’s not often discussed how it can be helpful in the school or hospital space. Also, child life specialists in hospitals are really passionate about their position, they empathize with children and parents, and help normalize the kids’ hospital stays. I’ve also gotten to know how a pediatric hospital works, and how to work in a startup company.”
Lizzie Suber, Class of 2025
Major: Cognitive science and computer science
Internship site: The Afro-American newspaper
Role: Suber is an editorial intern. She does man-on-the-street interviews, asking passersby about climate change or advice for Father’s Day, for example. She edits, writes captions, and reformats text.
Takeaways: “When I look at the way I approach my majors, I have questions about what is it like to be another person, trying to understand the uniqueness of each person’s experience. Journalism is another way to get insight into that. It’s also a good way to be more integrated into the Black community. The biggest thing that I’m taking away is seeing how journalists think about things and work through things, which is very different from either of my majors.”
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