About

In Summer 2024, the Interdisciplinary Science and Research Program launched the Summer High-school Internships in Research Experiences (SHIRE) program in partnership with the Ayin Project and the Nashville POWER Youth Summer Employment Initiative. This unique, paid internship offers rising juniors and seniors within the ISR programs the opportunity to engage in invaluable hands-on research, skill development, and communication activities. Students will work alongside scientists from Vanderbilt’s Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach and educators from their home ISR schools. In the Summer of 2025, rising juniors delved into Cancer Biology and Sustainable Engineering, exploring fields such as cell culturing and water quality, respectively. Rising seniors developed individual research projects to continue during the fall semester at their home high schools. This internship not only provides a stipend but also offers the chance to work on personalized projects and gain real-world research experience while working with leading experts in the field. As a participant in SHIRE, you will both be a student and an intern for the program. You will be immersed in real-world laboratory research questions and try to address these questions with the assistance of an ISR scientist. Students will work 28 hours per week (24 hours onsite and 4 hours with POWER Youth).