OCAST funds three Intern Partnerships

February 16, 2012

Professors from the University of Tulsa and Oklahoma City Community College and the founder of the Oklahoma Life Science Fund will oversee student interns in projects funded by OCAST in the agency’s Intern Partnerships program. The projects received recent approval by the OCAST governing board. OCAST is the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology.

Each Intern Partnership will operate two years in collaboration with universities and private-sector companies. The three projects represent both Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

Internships are awarded for two years, bringing the total for the three internship projects to $171,584. The latest awards support undergraduate student internships in biotechnology and environmental efforts.

Since 1998 the OCAST Intern Partnership program has assisted Oklahoma businesses in locating hard-to-find technology trained employees. OCAST pays half of the cost for an undergraduate intern to work in a research and development setting.

Many of the college students who participate in the program become employees of the small businesses that sponsor them.

Recent program awards follow:

Biotechnology

Oklahoma City – Fabiola Janiak-Spens of Oklahoma City Community College will direct interns enrolled in the OCCC biotechnology program. Interns will work with local biotechnology companies in performing wide-ranging functions to include development of novel fungal diagnostic assays, production of hyaluronic acid and heparosan and producing tools for diagnostics, drug and vaccine development. Sponsoring firms include Advanced Research Laboratories/DNA Solutions, Cytovance, IMMY, Caisson, Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, OU Health Sciences Center and Pure Protein. Total for two years, $55,584

Tulsa – William Paiva of the Oklahoma Life Science Fund will mentor interns who will be given the opportunity to interact with and contribute to the technical, financial, operational and executive management aspects of the seven portfolio companies in which the Oklahoma Life Sciences Fund has invested. Total for two years, $56,000

Environmental

Tulsa – Surendra Singh of the University of Tulsa will oversee interns who will work with three MIRATECH Corp. engineers in design, specifications, development and testing of emission control systems. Total for two years, $60,000