Philosophers do Internships

Where and when did you do your internship and what did you do as an intern?

I am currently completing a year-long internship with the Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) Office at the University of Calgary, running from May 2025 to April 2026. During the internship, I worked on projects related to laboratory safety communication and hazardous chemical waste management. The communication materials were intended for laboratory users across both campuses - from undergraduate students and graduate researchers to postdoctoral fellows, principal investigators (PIs), and research staff. My main responsibility was helping improve how chemical & biochemical waste disposal procedures are communicated to laboratory users. This involved reviewing existing safety documentation, identifying areas where information could be clearer, and helping develop updated materials such as compatibility charts and visual guides to support safer laboratory practices.

Because of my background in chemistry and my current work in philosophy, I approached the project as both a technical and conceptual task: translating complex chemical and regulatory information into formats that are clear, practical, and accessible for researchers and students working in laboratories.

How did you find out about or generate the opportunity to do the internship?

I learned about the internship through the Transformative Talent Internship (TTI) program at the University of Calgary, which connects graduate students with applied projects across different units of the university.

Before beginning my MA in philosophy, I studied chemistry at the University of Calgary (BSc, 2022) and worked as a chemist in industry and research sectors. This background made the EHS internship a natural fit, as it allowed me to combine my practical experience with laboratory work with my current interest in how scientific knowledge is communicated and implemented within institutions.

Did you find that doing the internship was useful? What did you get out of it?

Yes, the internship was extremely valuable. One of the most useful aspects was seeing how scientific knowledge moves from theory into practice. Safety regulations, chemical classifications, and compatibility rules are often highly technical, but they must ultimately be translated into clear instructions and tools that people can actually use in laboratories.

The experience helped me develop practical skills in communication, interdisciplinary collaboration, and problem-solving, while also reinforcing the importance of clear knowledge translation in scientific environments.

More broadly, it reminded me that the effectiveness of scientific work often depends not only on generating knowledge but also on how that knowledge is communicated, interpreted, and implemented within institutions.

Did you get paid? How much and by whom?

Yes. The internship was funded through the Transformative Talent Internship (TTI) program at the University of Calgary. Over the course of the placement, I completed approximately 420 hours of work at $26 per hour. The program also provided a $700 TTI Completion Award and a $1,000 Work-Integrated Learning Award to support graduate student participation in experiential learning.

What should a grad student interested in doing an internship know that you wish someone had told you before you applied or did it?

One important thing to know is that internships often involve learning how academic knowledge operates within real institutional settings. The work may require flexibility and the ability to collaborate with people from different professional backgrounds. For graduate students, especially those in humanities disciplines, internships can be a valuable way to develop transferable skills such as communication, project coordination, and interdisciplinary thinking. I would also recommend approaching the internship with curiosity. Many of the most useful insights come from observing how theoretical knowledge is adapted to practical situations and institutional constraints.

In addition to the practical work experience, completing the TTI coursework (a 6-unit, non-graded component of the program) was also extremely valuable. The Reflection module in Fall 2025 and the Refine module in Winter 2026 provided important opportunities to think critically about the internship experience itself. Through these modules, I gained practical insights into reflexive thinking, proactive communication, and collaborative problem-solving, which significantly enriched my experience in the program.

Above all, one of the most valuable aspects of this internship was the opportunity to work with and learn from the remarkable people in the EHS Office. I was fortunate to be supervised by Eoin O’Grady and Janina Willkomm, whose expertise, generosity, and support made this experience especially meaningful. I also had the pleasure of working closely with my colleague Shirong Huang. From each of them I learned a great deal- both technically and beyond the technical aspects of the work. Their professionalism, collaborative spirit, and dedication to creating a safe research environment left a lasting impression on me.

As Hannah Arendt reminds us, “Education is the point at which we decide whether we love the world enough to assume responsibility for it.” In many ways, my internship allowed me to practice that responsibility in a small but concrete way within the scientific community.