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Summer Internships: Caitlin Ewald

Ferris State University students gain valuable work experience through internships. Internships also can confirm or redirect career decision-making, provide marketability, develop people skills and enhance classroom learning. Many academic programs require one, but the experience is encouraged regardless to provide students with a better understanding of what will be expected of them in the workplace.

Many students are participating in myriad internships this summer. Meet:

PhotoCaitlin Ewald

Caitlin Ewald

She is: returning for her Senior year in Industrial Chemistry, with a concentration in Manufacturing and a minor in Mathematics. Caitlin is from Oxford.

Her Internship: I work in the Quality Control Laboratory at Perrigo’s Allegan, Michigan plant as a laboratory technician.

“They are a pharmaceutical company that largely manufactures store-brand, over-the-counter medications. I am involved in the quality testing of tablets before they are released for distribution. My internship allows me to be a part of a group of chemists whose mission is to improve and sustain consumer trust in pharmaceutical products by using chemical analysis to ensure quality.”

Was the University Helpful in Gaining Your Internship? “My professor, Bill Killian, connected me with my supervisor at Perrigo. I was able to contact them, set up an interview, and eventually receive the internship.”

Other Activities on the Ferris Campus: “I am an SLA facilitator for chemistry courses. Structured Learning Assistance (SLA) is part of the Academic Literacy Center on campus. Facilitators attend lecture and laboratory sessions to assist the professor and ‘facilitate’ a workshop twice a week where they help students review course material, go over practice problems, answer questions, and prepare for exams. I have facilitated 100-and 200-level Chemistry courses and will return to that work in the fall semester.

I also research on campus with Professor Bill Killian. We are currently exploring and analyzing the relationship between the hydrogen bonding of alcohol solutions and their refractive indices at a range of temperatures and concentrations. In March, we did a virtual poster presentation of our research at the 2021 Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters Conference hosted by Alma College. We plan to present an expansion of our research with new data and findings this coming school year.”

Ferris Core Value Caitlin Relates to: Learning. “As a STEM major who is constantly answering questions and exploring new things, continuous learning is vital to advancement and success in my field.”


MEET THE INTERNS HOMEPAGE