Message from Melissa Jurist, Academic Program Manager

I would like to make you aware of our high school engineering internship program that operates during the summer months. The program, seven weeks in total, places highly qualified students into engineering labs with faculty, grad students and undergrads for a unique and personalized experience. The students work FULL TIME with the lab team to learn about lab culture, the current engineering research being conducted and how to prepare for college and employment through our weekly pedagogical sessions. Some of the internships come with a stipend, but most do not. This is not a reflection on the applicants, but rather a grant-funded versus not-funded scenario.

The program demands full-time attendance, with no additional jobs, classes, or vacations of extended periods being taken during the internship. We cannot be flexible on this. Failure to comply with this may result in removal from the program.

Our projects will include research currently being done in a variety of engineering fields, including collaborations involving more than one discipline. So, we encourage students to write their cover letter (which is required in the online application) targeting a field, or fields, of engineering in which they are interested. Also required for application are a letter or recommendation from a STEM teacher and a transcript.

I ask that parent/caregivers and students be economical in their correspondence with me. That is, try to gather all questions into a single email, rather than sending me questions one-at-a-time. Timely correspondence is hindered by multiple emails.

The program is highly competitive, with an average acceptance rate of approximately 5%. We look for students who have skills and/or interests that articulate with the work being conducted in the lab. With all of this said, we would love to see you this summer and look forward to their applications.

What does the engineering internship experience entail?

• Students will take basic safety lab safety training prior to beginning their internship, as well as any additional training required for working in the specific lab of their mentor.
• The internships generally run from the second to last week of June through the first week of August.
• Students accepted into the program are expected to work 20+ hours a week, minimum (additional hours with faculty approval) for this internship, without vacation or co-occurring activities. The number of hours and schedule depend upon the mentor.
• Each intern is required to meet with the Director of UD K-12 Engineering, when requested.
• All internships will take place on the main campus at Newark, with very few exceptions. Students are expected to transport themselves. We do not offer parking reimbursements.
• Each intern is expected to contribute to the lab, and attend & participate in lab meetings, if invited by their mentor to do so.
• All mentors are required to produce a poster about the research in which they participated for our end-of-internship poster session. Details and a template will be supplied.
• Melissa Jurist must be cc:ed on all correspondence with your mentor and co-workers in the lab.
• Very few internships come with a stipend.

Interested in Working with the K-12 Population?

Whether you have NSF broader impact requirements, or simply enjoy sharing your knowledge with the K-12 community, we have the resources to help you. Click here to request more information.