The Alternatives in Science Club is a grass-roots organization based on the Anschutz Medical Campus of the University of Colorado Denver. The organization is dedicated to career development for students, post-docs, and faculty of the University of Colorado. Everyone is welcome to join.

Who we are:

• We act as a liaison to connect the resources of the University and the Bioscience Community. Companies are interested in all types of University resources including: buying time on equipment, collaborations, funding experiments, and hiring graduating students. Many companies lament that they have no avenue to work with the people inside the university. Many professors would collaborate on projects that apply their research to technology if they had the opportunity.

• AIS Club helps members gain supplementary skills such as: interview preparation, formal or informal business training, professional networking, technology transfer knowledge, CV building skills, general awareness of opportunity.

• The Alternatives in Science Club facilitates a tight-knit community of scientists interested in the potential of science outside the walls of the university.

What we do:

• Career Development Internship Program -  We have built a “create your own” internship program. Students can use the connections forged by the AIS club to entertain the possibility of a short or long term internship with biotech companies.

• Invention to Venture Workshop – March 13, 2007. Visit Invention2Venture.org for more information. Invention to Venture workshops have been held in such technology hotspots as Boston, MA, San Diego, CA, Chicago, IL and Gainesville, FL. The introductory I2V teaches technology entrepreneurship basics, helps build networks and provides a framework for moving ideas forward.

• Local Connections – We routinely work with: Colorado Bioscience Association (CBSA), The Bard Center for Entrepreneurship, Rocky Mountain Product Development and Management Association (RMPDMA), BioEntrpreneurs Club (BioE Club), and the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS)

• Career Seminars - Inviting people from diverse careers to give insight into their experiences.

• Matchmaker Meetings - We invite employers to visit with students and postdocs to describe their company and make connections.

• Local Event Calender - We compile and post the networking and workshop events in the area. Many are free to UCD affiliates.

• Contact List – We have a contact list of every individual that has interacted with AIS or shown an interest in helping our cause. We hope that as this list grows, it will become an invaluable resource for job hunting.

• Monthly Newsletter - A few short articles by club members who attended events throughout the month. This is a great way to get the information out to even those who didn’t have time to participate.