Propel Your Passion with These STEM Internships for High School Students
Are you a high school student with a specific interest in STEM? If so, you might be interested in an internship opportunity that will help you gain experience you can’t get inside your high school classroom.
Below are several different STEM internships for high school students, each with specific eligibility requirements, that offer a chance for students with talent for, interest in, and maybe even experience with STEM to expand their passion even further.
Take a look at the list below, which is just a sampling of opportunities available across the United States. You should also take a look at opportunities specific to your city, state, or local area as well, since sometimes laboratories and institutes in specific areas will offer internships exclusively for local students.
National Institute of Health
The 2021 NIH internships in biomedical research will all be virtual to keep students safe during the pandemic. However, the application for 2021 is closed, and hopefully future internships will be in person once again!
To apply, students must be at least 17 years of age and high school juniors or seniors. The internships generally last 8 weeks, during which students will work side-by-side with leading scientists in the biomedical field.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
NASA interns have the opportunity to assist space scientists in research and missions like returning to the moon in 2024! Previous experience in space exploration research is not required, and students usually receive a stipend for their work.
To apply, students must be U.S. citizens, at least 16-years-old, and full-time students with a GPA of at least 3.0.
Idaho National Laboratory
During the 8-week internship with INL, students help solve real-world problems under the guidance and mentorship of INL experts. Students also learn to apply STEM concepts to specific projects, thus deepening their knowledge and reinforcing the lessons they are gaining in high school.
To apply, students must be U.S. citizens and at least 16-years-old. INL is looking for students who are self-motivated and intellectually curious with a desire to improve themselves and expand their learning capabilities.
National Cancer Institute
This internship experience is exclusively for high school seniors. Students who intern at NCI will have the opportunity to either work on the scientific side by learning the basics of biomedical research through hands-on lab training or on the administrative side through projects in budget, personnel, information technology, graphics, and media.
Both types of internships support scientific research in the biomedical field that will continue to find breakthroughs in cancer treatments.
Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program
During this 8-week full-time training, students who intern work one-on-one with faculty researchers at George Mason University and collaborating institutions on hands-on STEM projects.
Students utilize state-of-the-art technology to solve hypothesis-driven questions in fields including: biochemistry, biodefense, bioengineering, bioinformatics, chemistry, computer science, cybersecurity, earth science, environmental science, genomics, geoinformation science (GIS), mathematical modeling, medicine, nanotechnology, neuroscience, serious game design, sports medicine, physics, and proteomics.
To apply, high school students must be at least 16-years-old.
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Internships at PPPL are for high school students during a semester of their senior year or the summer immediately following graduation. The semester internship lasts 16 weeks, while the summer internship lasts 8 weeks.
This particular program asks that students have some experience relevant to experimental or computational projects in plasma physics, have coding/computer language experience, and have taken physics, chemistry, advanced math, and engineering classes in school.
During these internships, students have the opportunity to work on a project with a member of the research or engineering staff at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.
Introductory College Level Experience in Microbiology (iCLEM)
This particular opportunity is specifically for economically disadvantaged sophomores and juniors in high school in Alameda, Contra Costa, or San Francisco County in California.
To apply, you must be 15-years-old by a particular date depending on when you apply, be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, have a GPA of at least 2.5 with a passing grade in Algebra 1 and Biology, have an annual household income of $75,000 or less, and commit to being present for at all 5 weeks of the program, Monday through Friday.
The program is a paid summer science intensive and seeks to broaden students’ understanding of biotechnology, microbiology, and biofuels. Students will complete a research project and also explore future career options and start preparing for the college application process.
Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)
This apprenticeship program is designed to encourage high school students to pursue science and engineering careers and to expose them to activities within the Department of Navy (DoN) laboratories, thus giving them lab experiences they would not otherwise get in school.
Students must have completed Grade 9 to apply and should be currently enrolled in high school. Graduating seniors may also apply. Though most students should be U.S. citizens in most labs, although some labs will permit permanent residents and dual-citizens.
The program lasts for 8 weeks during the summer. Students are encouraged to apply to a laboratory that is close to their residents, since no travel or relocation costs will be covered.
Participating students will receive a $3,500 stipend for the 8 weeks; returning students will receive $4,000.
National Eye Institute
The National Eye Institute has two summer internships, which are available for students who are enrolled at least half time in high school (age 17+), college, graduate school, or medical or professional school.
The internships take place in Bethesda or Rockville, Maryland and last 8 to 12 weeks.
National Institute of Standards and Technology
This summer internship program is intended for students who have finished their junior or senior year of high school by the start of the program, are U.S. citizens, and are interested in scientific research.
During the 8-week program, students will participate in cutting-edge research at NIST and will work closely with NIST staff scientists and engineers on a specific research problem.
Students will not be paid and must provide their own housing in and transportation to Gaithersburg, Maryland.