Summer Internship Program Makes Changes for 2019

The Office of Intramural Training & Education has made significant changes to the NIH Summer Internship Program for summer 2019. The most important changes affect program eligibility, the intern selection process and the nature of the program itself for high school students. Changes affecting older interns are minimal.

Beginning in 2019, summer interns must be age 17 by June 15 of the internship year. Individuals who are in high school must meet two additional criteria: they must be either juniors or seniors, and, if they will not be 18 by June 15 of the internship year, they must, at the time of application, reside within 40 miles of the NIH campus on which they hope to intern.

High school summer interns will be selected by an institute/center selection committee, rather than by individual principal investigators. Each IC will appoint a high school summer coordinator and devise a process for making intern selections. With limited exceptions, interns will not be appointed to ICs in which their parent/guardian works.

To ensure that all high school summer interns are ready to benefit from the internship experience, they will begin as a cohort on one of two start dates (June 13 or 24) and will attend a required orientation prior to joining their research groups. OITE has developed and piloted a full-day orientation for high school summer interns that was well received in 2018. In addition, OITE will provide a summer curriculum focused on the development of scientific and professional skills and on college readiness.

For more details, visit https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/hs-sip.