At DASI Simulations Interns Learn and Contribute to Company Mission and Goals
Over the two-plus years since Rev1 introduced the Innovation Internship Program, we and more than 50 startups in Central Ohio have been beyond fortunate to learn so much about Gen Z, the largest cohort of current and future employees.
These students and early-career workers, born between approximately 1997 to 2012, are the most diverse generation. They are digital natives, and approach internships in startups and young companies with energy, remarkable ideas, and the commitment and expectation to influence the companies where they intern.
That’s why DASI Simulations, a medical technology startup that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology and computational predictive modeling to improve patient outcomes and save lives, is such a good fit.
“Our goal is to give it back; we love that aspect of working with interns.”
“We get together as a management team and talk through what we are looking for in interns and where we need extra help,” said Ann Patterson, Chief People Officer at DASI Simulations. “We come up with a list and post the positions. We engaged interns from Rev1 and The Ohio State University (OSU). We also benefit from word of mouth amongst the students themselves.”
DASI had seven interns this past summer, including five through the Rev1 program. They worked on social media, marketing, engineering, and artificial intelligence. “We made it clear from the get-go that we were never going to be the company where interns sort the mail and get the coffee,” said Patterson. “Our team of interns were fully functioning and contributed meaningfully to the company and their career development.”
Kelsey Sniatynsky worked as a marketing and social media intern at DASI. “I heard about this internship from a friend in the marketing club and decided to give it a shot. It was one of my best decisions. I love the people and what we do,” she said.
“We tell all our interns that we are a startup and that if they want to learn any component of the business to let us know, and we will invite them into any meeting and discuss any field of our work,” said Patterson.
“It’s a group effort,” she said. “Every single one of us steps in. Dr. Dasi (Co-founder and CTO) would schedule Zoom calls with physicians and invite interns to join. Sean (McKibben, COO) has taken interns to Rev 1 events and other networking events. We encourage well-rounded experiences. There is no boundary. Whatever they want to learn, we will have the most qualified person step in and teach them.”
Kelsey Sniatynsky says the work was hard. “It was challenging,” she said, “pushing me out of my comfort zone. I had to figure things out, and I like that. I got to take something and run with it, totally off the leash. It was cool that they trusted me to do my job. I became curious, and I wanted to go learn more about other things. I am just curious about everything now.”
Hands-on teaching goes a long way.
“Before we started hiring for the summer,” Patterson said, “I was a little nervous about bringing on interns. We wanted to provide a quality experience and discussed it to ensure we felt capable of doing that given the stage of business we are in.”
“It worked well because we all worked as a team. Taking a couple of extra hours to show interns the software or a new app they needed to learn made such a difference. They are so grateful that they want to give back and be proud. It is an amazing experience all the way around,” she said.
“Aortic valve replacement surgery helps alleviate shortness of breath, chest pain, and fatigue, giving the patient a better quality of life,” Patterson said. “We are working together on building solutions and scaling this business. We are problem-solvers. We hit a wall one day, and it stings. The next day, we figured out a way around it. It’s exciting because things always change. We are doing significant work here at DASI, and the interns loved being part of that.”
Kelsey Sniatynsky and other interns will continue working at DASI part-time during the school year. Two graduate-level interns return as full-time employees after completing their doctoral degrees.
