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RTI Internship – an Eye-opening Experience for Economics Senior

The selection process for this internship was very competitive. It included an initial resume review, research on an assigned topic, a phone interview, and a presentation at RTI’s main campus. Those who made it through these initial steps were then invited to interview with the unit’s vice president.

My work with the Office of Innovation and Commercialization at RTI international focused on developing a market landscape of the venture investing industry that could be utilized by commercialization decision makers when the need arose to investigate external sources of funding for possible RTI commercialization opportunities.

I prepared a white paper describing the current market conditions and identifying venture capital firms that, going forward, would be valuable partners for RTI in the commercialization process. Interns in my office worked on a range of projects. Our mentors paired us up for the projects based on personal interests matched against RTI needs.The projects included:

  • Researching the future trends in intellectual property management. A fellow intern looked at the regulatory changes to the IP process and gave recommendations for the future of RTI’s IP policy.
  • Developing marketing materials for existing RTI technologies. An intern developed brochures that could be used to present information on RTI technologies to both industry experts and laypeople.
  • Research the market potential for proton therapies. An intern researched proton therapy and put together a document summarizing the state of the commercial market in proton therapy.
  • Business development. Two interns worked on business development for RTI technologies. Their projects included: cash flow modeling, revenue projections, equity investment projections, as well as meeting with and presenting their work to senior leadership at RTI.

RTI had over 70 interns this summer working in projects ranging from economic development to environmental modeling. Throughout the internship program, the interns were given freedom to network with employees at RTI. The sky is literally the limit as I even met with Dr. Victoria Haynes. RTI’s chief executive officer, at lunch. It is an unlikely and very welcome surprise when you learn that, as an intern, you will be able to sit and talk with executives at that level.

Additionally, through our frequent intern focus lunches, my fellow interns and I were given access to people from across the company at RTI. These meetings allowed us a glimpse into what daily operations in differing disciplines was like, a valuable asset to a fresh graduate who may be unsure about what to expect in the professional world.

In concert with our experience, we were encouraged to visit with a professional working in an industry we were interested in learning more about. I decided that a visit to a professional venture capitalist would provide an opportunity to explore the investment side of the commercialization process. I planned a visit with David Jones at Southern Capital Ventures. This meeting was the perfect complement to this internship experience, enabling me to meet with a professional in one of the most competitive industries in the world.