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Internships: Putting Classroom Learning to Work

Palnitkar, in his second year as a full-time student in the program, said he selected the Jenkins MBA because of its strong supply chain management curriculum.

With one year behind him and one more to go, he said he appreciates the program’s hands-on, real world approach to teaching. Internships and project-based classes are a key part of the academic experience.

College of Management faculty members associated with the college’s Supply Chain Resource Cooperative work closely with companies to provide these experiences as part of the supply chain management curriculum for both MBA and undergraduate students.

This summer, Palnitkar completed an internship with Biogen Idec’s manufacturing operations in Research Triangle Park, NC, where he worked on a number of inventory control projects, did some troubleshooting and identified solutions for problems that ranged from moderate to complex in scope. Much of the work was done in cross-functional teams, which is something that the Jenkins MBA curriculum emphasizes.

The internship experience, he said, was crucial to enabling him meet the goals he had set for himself.

Taking the Theoretical into the Real World

“Naturally, (classroom) studies gave me theoretical background but this was not enough,” he said. “Skills such as finding the appropriate approach to the problem and modeling the concepts learned in school to real world situations need to be developed. The internship gave an opportunity to see how knowledge from the studies can be used at work.”

The summer internship was his first exposure to the biosciences industry. “Not having any prior work experience in the biotech industry was definitely the biggest challenge I faced,” he said. “I soon realized that to successfully complete my projects it is very important to understand the dynamics of this industry.” To overcome this, he said he “read extensively documents that were made available to me and spoke to members of various departments to learn from their experiences.”

Take-aways from the internship include not only knowledge of the industry and the company but also the experience of working on actual problems faced by the company and providing solutions that have a positive impact.

Palnitkar said he also values the interactions he had with senior management and the professional advice they offered, as well as meeting individuals from all walks of life. “It was a really supportive environment and I enjoyed every minute of my internship at Biogen Idec,” Palnitkar said.

He also said that he feels he brought value to the company through his work there. “Along with classroom knowledge, I brought to table my technical and analytical skills. Also, I always showed my eagerness to contribute beyond the assigned projects. As a result, I was involved in several initiatives and thus increase my contribution and learning. However, my analysis of the existing inventory strategy for commercial and clinical production I feel has been my most significant contribution.”

His internship supervisor, Melody Scott, manager for manufacturing planning and materials inventory control, affirmed that.

“Sri’s knowledge and previous experience with ERP Systems and Business Objects was invaluable during his time with us at Biogen Idec this summer,” she said. “He was able to directly contribute to inventory control and procurement projects through his learning agility, creative thinking, and business acumen.”

Palnitkar and his supply chain concentration teammates are continuing to work with Biogen Idec as part of their supply chain management practicum class this semester.

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