Where did you co-op and what was your role?
I spent my co-op working at Moderna as an Autoimmune Disease Co-op.
Why did you pursue this opportunity?
While in college, I got exposed to the field of immunology and instantly fell in love. I knew I wanted to study the immune system in some shape or form, so when I saw the co-op position in the autoimmune group at Moderna, I knew I had to jump on the opportunity!
Can you describe a typical day?
A typical day would usually be a mixture of data analysis and lab time, where I spent a lot of time with my awesome manager. We would often run experiments together in the first few months of my co-op while I was starting out.
By the end of my co-op I was able to start designing my own experiments and running them on my own—being able to contribute to my groups work in both a late-stage pre-clinical drug candidate and a super early discovery stage project!
Kathrine Moravick ’26, Cell and Molecular Biology
What new skills did you learn?
I mainly did a lot of work with qPCR and flow cytometry (specifically spectral cytometry). I also worked with multiple different types of immune cells, ran ELISAs and Western Blots, and learned the basics of tissue digestion of processing from in vivo samples.
Were there any challenges you faced, and how did you overcome them?
There was definitely a steep learning curve when it came to understanding the background of my projects. As a sophomore who had yet to take biochemistry or an immunology class at the time, my knowledge of the work I was doing was pretty limited. However, I learned that the best way to overcome this was to just get to reading! I asked my manager to send me some papers that would help me learn more about the field, and we also sat down a few times to discuss the background so she could help me fill the gaps in my knowledge.
By the end of my co-op, I felt a lot more confident in my knowledge of the immune system, and I’ve really been able to implement a lot of what I’ve learned in my current lab on Northeastern’s campus!
What is something you worked on that you are particularly proud of?
My group had a long-term in vivo study that was finishing right as my co-op was starting. During this time, I worked with my group to process tissues from 180 subjects, which took over a month. From there, I spent the rest of my co-op analyzing all the data and building the data package that I presented at my final co-op presentation. The data ended up being pretty promising and could potentially be included in the final data package for the drug candidate!
Was there anything you were surprised by?
I was surprised by the community I was able to build through the co-op program. I made friends with so many awesome co-ops from around the country, and we would often hang out outside of the office. Some of my favorite memories were doing volunteer work on the Esplanade with them and going to weekly trivia nights at the local pizza place near NU’s campus. It was great to be able to meet so many driven and like-minded individuals in all stages of their educational experience, and I’m glad I was introduced to them all.
How has this experience impacted your education and/or career path?
Before starting this position, I was unsure if I wanted to pursue a career in research. However, after finishing my co-op, I learned that I not only wanted to keep doing research, but I also knew I wanted to focus on immunology. I learned so much from my time at Moderna and it helped me start to plan out my future educational and career path.
What advice would you give to a fellow student embarking on their first co-op?
Be open to trying new things! Sometimes the position that may seem daunting will surprise you 🙂
Is there anything you would like to add about your co-op experience?
The co-op program is such an amazing opportunity that really made my college experience. It allowed me to explore my passions and career options while still feeling like a part of the student community, which I wouldn’t trade for anything.
