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CNSI Magnify Internship Program Celebrates Third Cohort of Student Innovators
By Nicole Wilkins
This past academic year UCLA undergraduates gained firsthand experience in the fast-paced world of startups through the third cohort of the Magnify Internship Program, hosted by the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. The program places students with companies in Magnify — CNSI’s on-campus incubator that supports early-stage technology startups — giving interns a rare opportunity to contribute meaningfully to both research and business development.
From gaining technical expertise in the lab to exploring the realities of entrepreneurship, the interns walked away with new skills, professional confidence, and clarity about their future career goals.
For Aliyah Asadi, a Human Biology & Society major, her time with Prosper DNA was a chance to build skills while learning how startup teams operate.
“I learned a lot of wet lab skills such as maintaining sterilization,” Asadi said. “I also got a little more insight as to how startup companies work and how their employee structure may vary from larger companies.”
She credits her mentor, Giorgia Del Vecchio, lead scientist at Prosper DNA, with creating an encouraging and educational experience.
“She was so kind, patient, and a great educator overall,” Asadi said. “You can tell she is really knowledgeable in the field, and she was always eager to help me grow as a scientist.”
Asadi especially enjoyed presenting a scientific poster at the end of the program — her first time participating in such an experience. Her advice to future interns: strengthen unit conversion skills and be ready to dive into lab work.
For Isabelle Germain, an International Development Studies major interning at Eximius Diagnostics, the experience was “truly life-changing.”
“I learned all about business development — what it takes to start a business and how to work in the startup space,” she said.
Her biggest takeaway? The importance of communication, independence, and curiosity. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions,” Germain advised.
Lauren Aoyama, a Chemical Engineering major, interned with Forcyte Biotechnologies, where she picked up an array of technical and teamwork skills.
“I learned lots of new technical skills, such as CAD/3D printing, soldering, coding, and various lab techniques,” Aoyama said. “I also learned how to communicate effectively to my team.”
She appreciated the flexibility of both her schedule and projects, which kept the work engaging and diverse.
“Being comfortable admitting what you don’t know is super important,” she reflected. “Knowing when to ask questions, and feeling secure doing so, really helped me learn and grow.”
For Melody Mao, a Computational and Systems Biology major, working with Dalton Bioanalytics was an opportunity to develop both professional and technical skills.
“I was able to grow a lot in terms of professional development and understanding how best to communicate updates and work together in an industry setting,” Mao said. “In terms of hard skills, I was able to explore a lot of new areas due to the flexible nature of a startup.”
She emphasized the importance of taking initiative in such environments.
“In a startup where everyone is often tasked with many things and extremely busy, it’s important to keep organized and know how to set goals and plans for yourself,” Mao explained. “People won’t always actively reach out to you for updates, so it’s important to communicate and ask for feedback.”
The impact of the program extends well beyond the internship itself. Several students from the most recent cohort have gone on to impressive next steps: two were invited to continue their research internships with the same Magnify companies, one was accepted into UCLA’s Summer Capstone workforce development program, another began a clinical research position at Stanford, one launched an internship with Merck, and another started a DDS/PhD program in Oral Biology. These outcomes underscore how the Magnify experience serves as a launchpad for students’ academic and professional careers.
Across all interns, a common theme emerged: the Magnify Internship Program provides more than technical training. It fosters independence, adaptability, and professional readiness — qualities that will carry these students forward into future research, industry, and entrepreneurial ventures.
As the program enters its fourth successful year, it continues to reflect CNSI’s mission to empower the next generation of scientific leaders by connecting them with the thriving startup ecosystem at UCLA.