About

The NIST Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP) is a seven-week research internship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, hosted at either the Gaithersburg, Maryland or Boulder, Colorado campus. NIST — the federal agency responsible for measurement science, standards, and technology — is home to some of the most unusual research facilities in the world, and SHIP places high school juniors and seniors directly inside them, working full-time alongside NIST scientists and engineers on real, ongoing research projects.

Students work 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, from late June through early August (June 22–August 7, 2026). Research areas span an unusually wide disciplinary range: biochemistry, biology, biophysics, chemistry, computer science, engineering, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron research, physics, and more — reflecting NIST's cross-cutting mandate to advance measurement and technology across every scientific field. Each student is matched with a scientist mentor and assigned an individual research project, culminating in a required poster presentation and closing ceremony at the end of the program. Students applying to the neutron research sub-program at the NCNR in Gaithersburg additionally give oral presentations during the final week.

The program is unpaid — SHIP is structured as a volunteer internship, conferring no employment status — and students must arrange their own housing and transportation for the duration. There is no cost to apply or participate, but the housing requirement creates a practical barrier for students who don't already live near one of the two campuses. For students within commuting distance of Gaithersburg or Boulder, this is a non-issue; for those coming from elsewhere, it requires planning and resources. The application requires a resume, unofficial transcript, personal statement, and two letters of recommendation — one from a STEM teacher and one from a non-family adult such as a coach, mentor, or employer. A minimum 3.0 GPA is required and students must be U.S. citizens.

For an eligible high schooler within the 50-mile radius of either campus, SHIP offers something rare: genuine research access inside a federal laboratory that most scientists spend careers trying to get time at, with mentorship from staff who are among the world's leading experts in measurement science.