10 Engineering Internships for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Jun 16, 2023
- 9 min read
Updated: Jan 25
If you're an ambitious high school student considering a trajectory in engineering, you may want to consider engineering internships before applying to college. Admissions officers are looking for students who go beyond their classroom curriculum to learn and engage with the subject they are passionate about.
Doing an internship as a high school student, in a space as competitive as STEM can add greatly to your resume. In this blog, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list with 10 engineering internships, including aerospace engineering internships, mechanical engineering internships, and biomedical engineering internships.
Note that most of these opportunities are fully-funded, and provide a stipend. This list also includes prestigious national–level internship programs by organizations such as NASA, that you can consider while exploring potential engineering internships.
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. You can explore all the options here on their application form. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars. In the program, interns work closely with their managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present their work to the company. Here is the application form. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
Cost: Starting at $2,490 (financial aid available)
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagements provide internship opportunities at all their locations around America. If you’re located near a NASA facility, you can opt for an internship in a research facility near you. However, if you live away from one, NASA now conducts virtual internships as well! You can access their database on internships here (you will have to filter through the database to find opportunities open for high school students specifically).
Through this internship, you will gain the opportunity to experience real-world applications of aerospace engineering. Students interested in engineering or astrophysics can consider this program as it’s a great value-add for college applications, owing to the reputation and prestige of this program as well as NASA.
Cost: No cost, stipend provided
Location: Varies, different for each internship offered
Application Deadline: Varies from internship to internship
Program Dates: Varies from internship to internship, but should be in one of these three cohorts -
Fall - from late August/early September to mid-December (16 weeks)
Spring - from mid-January to early May (16 weeks)
Summer - from late May/early June to August (10 weeks)
Selection Rate: Highly Selective
Eligibility:
High School Students
Must be a U.S. Citizen
Have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA.
The SEES program is collaborative between NASA, the Texas Space Grant Consortium, and UT Austin. This national-level summer internship program is an opportunity for you to work alongside NASA subject matter experts - a coveted achievement
The program is centered around Earth and space research. As an intern, you will be expected to assist with analyzing and visualizing data in your respective area of research. You can expect to work on areas such as Earth and space research (either through astronaut photography or galaxy classification), climate research, mission design (through satellite design or Mars Rover resource utilization) or more.
There is a virtual, learning component to the program and then an onsite experience on campus at the University of Texas, Austin. You are also expected to present your research at the program's concluding symposium.
Cost: No cost
Location: National Institute of Health Campus (Bethesda, MD)
Application Deadline (Summer): 20th February
Program Dates (Summer):
June 25th-July 7th (remote)
July 8th - July 22nd (onsite).
Selection Rates: Highly Selective
Eligibility:
Open to rising Juniors and Seniors (at the time of the program)
Must be a U.S. Citizen
The SEAP Program by the Department of Navy (DoN) allows high school students to conduct Naval research and technology while simultaneously being mentored by scientists and engineers who currently conduct research at DoN.
Prospective students can choose between the 30 labs spread out over the country. Lab choices are based on interest (e.g., very few labs offer Marine Biology as a topic of interest, while Statistics and Engineering are more common among the labs).
Some topics of research that have been covered at the SEAP program are:
Submarine Life Support
Development of Ansys Fluent Workflow for Axial Fan Simulation and Flow Around Objects
Catalytic Oxidation of Li-Ion Electrolyte
Analysis of CSS Georgia bones and Various Consolidants
Design and development of AM Prints for Educational Purposes
Get a more detailed understanding of their contributions here!
Cost: No Cost + stipend of $4,000 (new participants) or $4,500 (for returning participants)
Location: Varies depending on lab choice.
Application Deadline (Summer): 1st August
Program Dates: Varies from lab to lab (expect it to be conducted in the summer months).
Selection Rates: Highly Selective
Eligibility:
Open to rising Juniors and Seniors (at the time of the program).
Must have turned 16 years old by the start date of the program.
Must be a U.S. Citizen
Note: Eligibility changes based on lab to lab (with some labs changing the grade and age minimum and others opening the program for permanent residents and dual citizens).
Quarknet offers a 7-week summer internship program where students interested in science and technology can contribute to Fermilab research. Fermilab (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory) operates under the U.S Department of Energy’s Office of Science and is America’s premier lab for particle physics research. The program’s area of interest lies in particle physics and accelerator research and you’ll work alongside scientists who conduct Fermilab research.
In particular, expect to work on projects involving particle physics, particle accelerators, and detectors, computing and quantum science in order to analyze data to advance understanding of the fundamental nature of the universe. Further, your main role will involve collecting data through entrance and exit surveys, working on the team’s research abstract and giving oral presentations throughout the course of the program.
Cost: A salary ($16.20/hour) will be provided.
Location: Varies depending on lab choice.
Application Deadline (Summer): December 15th - January 31st
Program Dates (Summer): June 20th - August 4th
Selection Rates: Selective
Eligibility:
Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
Must be a U.S. Citizen or have permanent resident status with Illinois high school enrollment.
Proof of medical insurance is required.
Any person interested in pursuing Computer Science in college would find SPARK interesting. SparkSIP allows applicants to select 5-6 projects that they’d like to work on, and then assign sponsors to selected students. Moreover, SPARK provides opportunities and resources that can be used during and after college applications!
The research project list included the following topics (among others) -
Detection tool for tick-borne infections or breast cancer
DNA Sequence Classification based on Electrical Signatures
2D Materials - A new class of conductors and semiconductors for future
Preparing Python script for crossbar architecture and exploring its various non-idealities.)
Understanding spike-timing and spike-rate impact on Spiking Neural Network (SNN)
Quantum - Technical Writing and Problem Solving
The program not only allows you to work on real-world applications of concepts in machine learning, computer programming, computer vision, and neural networks, but also lets you interact and learn from industry leaders, university professors and mentors.
Cost: No Cost, Stipend provided ($500)
Location: Greater Seattle Area
Application Deadline (Summer): May 1
Program Dates (Summer): 6-8 weeks, June to August
Selection Rates: Very Selective
Eligibility:
Must be a U.S. Citizen or have permanent resident status.
Can commit to working for 40 hours/week for 8-12 weeks.
The CiS Intern Program invites applications from San Francisco students from underrepresented communities in the field of STEM to learn about science and sustainability. Moreover, each student receives mentorships, gains the opportunity to build their professional skills and gains guidance with the college admission process.
Previously, topics covered in the program include Python for scientific programming, astronomy, science communication, biomimicry, environmental justice, and California conservation.
We reached out to the CiS team regarding the subject tracks they offer, and here’s the answer we received- students are allocated to roles and departments in a museum setting based on their interests and opportunities they have available in the museum at the time.
Cost: No Cost, Stipend provided
Location: California Academy of Sciences
Application Deadline (Summer): April 3rd
Program Dates (Summer): Multi-year, year-round participation
Selection Rates: Selective
Eligibility:
Open to freshman or sophomores enrolled in SFUSD schools
Maintain a GPA of 2.5 (Grade of C or higher in science and math)
As part of the U.S. Department of Energy, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) offers six-week internships for high school students to apply traditional STEM concepts to real-world problems. The internship is split in an 80/20 format where 80% of your time will be spent in the lab with your mentor while the other 20% will be centered around enrichment and skill-building activities.
You can be expected to work on areas such as advanced transportation technology, clear energy, critical infrastructure protection and Cyber security (to name a few). Internship opportunities are segregated in these categories based on related sets of research subjects and required skills. You are free to apply to as many potential areas of interest you may have! A unique feature of INL is their offer of internships in business administration, finance and accounting internships alongside their STEM internships.
In each area of interest, the number of research topics are also various. Past topics have included:
Investigation of Rare Earth Elements Mobility through Molecular Dynamics
Thermogenic Cementous Thermal Storage Material
Advanced Topologies for 3D Printed Heat Exchangers
Note. The INL displays the work of all their interns virtually through their ‘Intern Poster’ sessions!
Cost: No Cost, Stipend provided
Location: Idaho National Laboratory
Application Deadline: Varies based on internship
Program Dates: During summer, for 10-16 weeks.
Selection Rates: Selective
Eligibility:
Open to high school students above the age of 16.
Students who hold a U.S Citizenship or permanent resident status (only exceptions are foreign nationals who attend an accredited U.S. college or university).
Conducted by the National Institute of Health, the HiSTEP program offers internships in the areas of biomedical engineering and healthcare. The goal of the program is to expand the pipeline of students interested in biomedical and healthcare careers by expanding opportunities for high school students.
Spanning over 5 weeks in Bethesda, MD, you'll delve into the scope of scientific enterprise and the importance of biomedical research and other STEM-M careers. Sessions in the HiSTEP program have previously included -
Basic science skills used in laboratory settings through hands-on science experiments.
Current topics in Health Science through case studies and group projects.
Exploring STEM-M careers through learning the roles played by scientists, healthcare workers, and public health experts.
Career readiness and leadership development through improving skills such as self-awareness, assertiveness and interpersonal/ resiliency skills.
College and career advising through resources that improve understanding of the college application process, aid in scholarship and mentor finding, and help with the transition to college.
Cost: No Cost + stipend ($2150) and Public transport benefits provided
Location: National Institute of Health Campus (Bethesda, MD)
Application Deadline (Summer): 1st February
Program Dates: July 5th - August 3rd.
Selection Rates: Selective
Eligibility:
Must be a high school sophomores or juniors/ rising sophomore (turn 17 by June 15th for Summer program)
Must be a U.S. citizen or hold permanent resident status.
Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Attend a school where 30% or more of the student body participated in the Federal Free/ Reduced Lunch Program.
Have their primary residence in Virginia, Maryland or Washington DC (within 40 miles of the main NIH campus in Bethesda, MD).
The AFRL program is a paid-internship opportunity for upper-level high school students who are interested in aerospace engineering.
Post-selection, you will receive guidance from full-time AFRL scientists and engineers, touring AFRL laboratories and working on cutting-edge research and technology. Each mentor in the program is highly knowledgeable and you can find a list of mentors here. The topics in the AFRL program are centered around aerospace/ mechanical design, complex electromagnetic structures and more.
The research projects for Summer include the Clean-up of PFAs contamination, research on Cold Atom sources and their use in navigation and technology, and the development of a personalized chatbox with natural communication (to name a few).
Cost: No Cost + stipend provided ($468.80/week)
Location: Varies based on program
Application Deadline: Varies from internship to internship
Program Dates: Varies from internship to internship, but should be in one of these three cohorts -
Fall - from late August/early September to mid-December (16 weeks)
Spring - from mid-January to early May (16 weeks)
Summer - from late May/early June to August (10 weeks)
Selection Rate: Selective
Eligibility:
Upper High School Student (Over 16 years old)
Must be a U.S. Citizen
Have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA.
Must be available full-time (40 hours a week) and work in their physical offices over the summer.
Bonus - Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you are interested in doing university-level research in engineering then you could also consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students that I founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 2100 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
Image Source: NASA logo