Catching up with the first INBT Co-Op Participant, Andrew Beamesderfer.

Andrew Beamesderfer, Engr ’16, ’17 (MSE) was among the first participants in the Johns Hopkins Institute for Nanobiotechnology (INBT) Co-Op, a program that allows Whiting School of Engineering master’s students to earn academic credit for an internship project. Over six months, the students learn essential job skills while applying knowledge from courses they typically complete before starting the Co-Op.  

During his 2016 internship at Becton Dickinson (BD), a medical technology and life sciences company, Beamesderfer’s performance earned him a job offer.  He has since built a successful nine-year career with the company, where he now serves as a systems engineering senior manager. He credits the internship program with helping him develop the essential engineering soft skills that have contributed to his professional growth. 

Why did you join the Co-Op program? 

Professor and INBT Director Hai-Quan Mao mentioned it to me when I enrolled in the combined bachelor’s/master’s program in materials science and engineering. I saw it as a unique opportunity to earn my degree and get paid while working at a world-class med-tech company. It worked out well that BD was very close to Hopkins— about 25 minutes away from Homewood campus in Sparks. So it was a no-brainer for me. 

Describe your Co-Op project and how it connects to your work today. 

Although I don’t exactly do this type of work now, I worked on one project for the six months that I was part of the Co-Op. It was an early tech development project related to sepsis detection, and it was a completely new area for me.  It was an incredible opportunity! I worked with microbiologists, systems engineers, and electrical engineers who were involved because there was an integration component in which we were looking not only at the biology and the chemistry side of things, but also instrumentation, hardware, and software integration. Understanding of all these systems is integral to what I am involved in at BD now. 

How did your experience in the program lead to a full-time role at BD? 

My goal when joining the program was to make such a significant impact on the work I was doing that they couldn’t imagine not having me there! Fortunately, I was able to do just that.  

I started the Co-Op before starting classes towards my master’s, because that’s how the timing worked out with BD. After completing the Co-Op, I continued as a full-time contractor with BD while finishing my coursework on the Homewood campus. This arrangement let me maintain my visibility with the company and build a strong knowledge base of the industry of molecular diagnostics. Keeping my foot in the door while I completed my master’s positioned me perfectly to launch a career at BD. 

How did the Co-Op prepare you for your career? 

It was incredibly helpful to learn how things work in an industry setting. I engaged not at a surface intern level, but as a member of a team. The Co-Op gave me time to make an impact on my team at BD, connect with others, and learn about the company. I think that’s probably the biggest thing that I would see as a benefit, outside of getting paid while you’re getting your master’s.  

Any advice for students considering the Co-Op program? 

 Keep your eyes open for when that opportunity shows up and jump at it! I think getting connected in the beginning served me well. I found that opportunities show up every now and then and you need to be willing to say, “Yes,” and accept them.  I’ve been fortunate that the Co-Op program from the beginning set me up to get connected with BD. It all started with getting a foot in the door.  

Story by Conner Allen