Do you feel that your course is too theoretical? Are you curious about the Bioengineering field? Want to get to work? Then CoLab Sessions is ideal for you!
The CoLab Sessions are research internships that take place in multiple investigation laboratories during a semester, so that students get in touch with scientific research being developed in the bioengineering field.
The CoLabs begin with a visit to the laboratory. Such visits provide insight to the students regarding the multiple projects that they may accompany and work in.
Are you worried about the time commitment that starting a project might have? There is no reason to, as these projects have flexible schedules and deadlines and aren’t too time consuming. In fact, most of our students say they worked on it 4 to 6 hours per week. However, if the students are interested and want to make a bigger commitment, they can do so (around 2 mornings/ afternoons per week).
In previous editions, we have worked with laboratories from different institutes such as iBB, ISR, iMM, INESC, IBEB, ITQB and FCT. The feedback is extremely positive, both from the students and the researchers they collaborated with.
Are you curious? Want to learn more about the next applications? Learn the latest news and information about our projects on our Facebook and Instagram.
If you have any doubt contact us: colab@ieee-ist.org.
– Instituto de Sistemas e Robótica
– Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering
– INESC Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias
–Instituto de Telecomunicações
– INSTITUTO DE BIOFÍSICA E ENGENHARIA BIOMÉDICA
– Instituto de Medicina Molecular
–TQB NOVA – Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier
“The theme of the internship was very interesting, and it was a great opportunity to acquire new knowledge, especially in such a relevant area today. This was undoubtedly a great investment for me and my academic life.”
“It took about 2 to 3 hours in person and I would say about 1 to 2 of working at home per week. The schedules were always very flexible and took into account our availability and workload regarding classes.””
Carolina Barata, 4th year of Biomedical Eng.
Participant in the project “Learning to detect basic 3D shapes from images”
“The relationship between me and the person responsible for the project was excellent! Everyone was very accessible. They were always ready to support me and made me feel welcomed. The enthusiasm for what they do is palpable and the atmosphere within the group is amazing.”
“The schedules met my expectations. In terms of face-to-face work (in the laboratory) it was essentially two mornings of about 3 hours each. The work outside the laboratory was never demanding and they always allowed me to work at my own pace.”
Carlos Clara, 3rd year of Biological Eng.
Participant in the project “Assessing the in-vitro motility of bacterial symbionts from gorgonian corals”
“Through this project I realized that this is really an area that I like and want to invest in the future (as, for example, in the Master’s thesis)”
Isabel Doutor, 4th year of Biological Eng.
Participant in the project “Bioengineering Strategies for Pluripotent Stem Cell Expansion and Differentiation
“It all went according to plan, two sessions of 4 hours per week. We managed to arrange dates to fulfil the plan.”
Rafael Alves, 3rd year of Biological Eng.
Participant in the project “Usage of bioinformatic tools to understand the biology of infectious agents”
“I was able to explore a theme that had long fascinated me. I learned different laboratory methods that I believe may
be useful to me.”
Ana Sofia Amorim, 3rd year of Biological Eng.
Participant in the project “Behaviour, Neuroscience, Regeneration”
CoLabs FAQ’s
You will find answers to frequently asked questions here. If you have any further questions do not hesitate to contact us through embs.colab@ieee-it.org.
I’m not part of a Biological or Biomedical Engineering course. Can I still apply to the CoLabs?
Of course, you can apply. Any person with interest in the Bioengineering field can enroll in the CoLabs.
I have exams or tests in the same day I have to work at the laboratory. How do I cope with both things?
The duration of the internship and the recommended schedules are only recommendations/guidelines which are supposed to be flexible. When you are selected by an investigator there will be negotiations regarding those aspects. Don’t worry, the investigators know that you are students who need time to study and get good results.
I have never done anything like this before and I’m not super skilled. Can I still apply?
Sure you can! The CoLabs were developed so that people who want to learn new things have an opportunity to do so. If you are not very experienced this is the perfect way to start and you will be always accompanied by the organization and the laboratory. So, what are you waiting for?
Do I have to attend the session at the lab?
Yes. The sessions are organized in order to minimize interruptions in the laboratories that receive you. Therefore, it is extremely important to be there on time.
These sessions are organized so that you get to know the project and the people you will be working with so it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for you to apply to stay in that lab without actually getting to know it first.