Nasekomo’s Internship Program – a place where young minds meet science, technology and business
“Today, it is a call to everyone to contribute to the preservation of the environment.“, shares one of the students.
In April Nasekomo, the only biotechnology company in Eastern Europe for the development of technologies for industrial insect rearing, announced the first edition of its internship program in Bulgaria. Today part of the team are already five students working closely with Nasekomo biologists, engineers and procurement experts.
The program provides an opportunity for young scientists to gain practical experience and realization in the field of scientific research for industrial insect rearing. Trayana, Veronika and Mihail now gain knowledge and hands-on experience as part of the company’s research and development team working on scientific projects observing the implementation in a real-world environment. The projects are related to microbiology, probiotics in insect’s diet, bioconversion and processing, rearing optimization, as well as product development. What two of the interns Mihail and Veronika, veterinary medicine students, share is that this program will help them experience something new, interesting and even “exotic”. “Nasekomo is the thing of the future and I see a lot of modern and innovative components in all aspects of the work”, says Mihail. Veronika shares that the knowledge gained here will help her be a better veterinary doctor by better understanding the role of alternative proteins in animals’ diet on their health and wellbeing.
“I am very interested in biotech and especially in sustainable development, so a company that combines the two right in my hometown sounded like an amazing opportunity with a lot of prospects for international collaborations, which is always a plus for me. I appreciate the fact that I am given responsibilities in the data gathering and analysis part of the process. It is an area that really fascinates me, but so far, I have not had any hands-on experience. The possibility of learning by doing is the best work experience one can get.”, shares Trayana Hristova, who specializes Bioinformatics at Sorbonne University.
Marie-Michèle and Dimitry Pons joines respectively Nasekomo’s procurement and engineering teams. Marie-Michèle comes from Haiti and is currently completing her master’s degree at the Specialized Institute of Francophone Administration and Management in Sofia with a focus in Supply Chain Management. “Today, it is a call to everyone to contribute to the preservation of the environment. Joining a company like Nasekomo will allow me to acquire in-depth knowledge of the professional world in the field of logistics, but also in biotechnology, and thus strengthen my environmental sensitivity. As someone from the Caribbean, this is my first experience working internationally. At the end of this period, I will be able to collaborate in a multicultural environment, valuing our differences to achieve common objectives. In the long term I may even consider the initiation of such a project in my home country.”, says Marie-Michèle. Dimitry comes from France, where he is studying mechanical engineering at Arts et Metiers ParisTech and working as a design engineer. Dimitry learns about Nasekomo as part of a school project that brings him to a three-month adventure in Bulgaria supporting the engineering team of Nasekomo in their efforts in corrosion prevention in the larvae rearing area.
The team of like-minded people, young scientists with a passion for innovation will be joined by two more students in the next months.