Summer High School Intern Program

The Summer High School Intern Program (SHIP) is a NIST-wide summer intern program for students who will have finished their junior or senior year of high school by the start of the program and are interested in scientific research only. All other high school applicants who do not want a summer research position should go to NIST Student Employment Programs for information on other NIST Programs. Students selected for this competitive volunteer program will participate in cutting-edge research at NIST, and will work closely with NIST staff scientists and engineers on a specific research problem.

Previous research topics can be found here.

During their tenure at NIST in Gaithersburg, MD, the students will not be paid, and are expected to provide their own housing and transportation. The program requires a commitment for a contiguous 8-week period (nominal hours of 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM). This program is open only to United States citizens.

The following links will provide more information about SHIP:

• Application Process
• Selection Process
• SHIP Research

Internal Use Only for NIST Staff (i.e., you must be a NIST employee with computer access to the NIST internal website): Paperwork Submission for SHIP Hiring

Program Dates:

The on-line application, including letters of recommendation, is accepting applications only between December 01 and February 13, 2023.

The 8-week program is tentatively scheduled to start on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 to August 14, 2023 (official end date is August 11, 2023). The SHIP poster sessions (which all students are required to attend and participate in) will be held In-Person August 10 - 11, 2023 for Gaithersburg, MD and Virtually for Boulder and other virtual participants. 

If you have any additional questions, please write to ship [at] nist.gov .