Interning with INSITE and USC

If you’ve been following INSITE® for a while, you’ve probably heard us talking about out ProvenComfort® biomechanics testing. It’s the foundation of all our insole products, and it’s how we’re able build insoles for everyday shoes with the same qualities you’d find in elite, custom athletic footwear. Our work at the INSITE Research & Design Lab in Los Angeles wouldn’t be possible without the academic world of biomechanics research – and how it can inform product design to better support public health.

In this article, we’ll give you a glimpse into our internship program with the University of Southern California, as we help to support the next generation of biomechanics professionals.

A Pathway Into Footwear

INSITE has partnered with USC to provide internship opportunities for students in the Masters of Science in Biokinesiology with Sports Science Emphasis program. Graduates often go on to work in clinical fields as biomechanists and sports scientists. Our internship program provides an additional path towards a career in footwear.

INSITE interns get hands-on experience learning how biomechanics and materials sciences interact to create a comfortable and functional shoe. Any given day might include materials testing, analyzing data, or interviewing study participants – sometimes all at once! There’s no shortage of activity in the INSITE lab.

Additionally, our Director of Innovation Justin Ter Har, MSc has been delivering a series of lectures on footwear science, helping students connect their biomechanics discipline with the materials and mechanics that go into everyday footwear.

Our USC interns can spend up to two years with the program to learn the ins and outs of footwear engineering. Graduates have gone on to work with major footwear brands or continue their research path. It’s one of many ways INSITE and our partners hope to provide career opportunities to recent graduates – and to bridge the gap between academia and the footwear industry.

An Inside Look

This year INSITE is proud to host three interns working part-time in the lab. We spoke with first-year grad student Jocelyn Lake to give you an inside look at the life of an INSITE intern. Joci has been interning with our research lab since October 2025.

What inspired you to pursue biomechanics as an academic path?

“I was an undergrad in Chemical Engineering at Tufts, but didn’t know exactly what to do after. I got really interested in Materials Sciences, which helped me to find the way along with sports. I like how complicated things are, like how heat affects foams. I love nerding out with Justin about the biomechanics of the materials.”

What’s been the most interesting part of the internship at the lab?

“I like working with the materials and the data, but I also like when people come into the lab for testing. The best is, there are always new shoes or new foams, and we have to take tech specs or test materials. Or there might be like 6 people we need to test at once. Everyone has such a strong opinion on the shoes!”

How do you hope to apply your degree and internship post-graduation?

“I would like to continue if not in shoes, then perhaps in broader apparel. I’m particularly interested in how you can better your health through what you wear. So, things like Oura rings, for example. How can tech and materials help people to be healthier?”

Joci is excited to continue her internship INSITE but also to learn about all the opportunities the sports apparel and footwear industry can offer following her time with us