10 STEM Internships for High School Students at Science Museums

STEM_Internship

Science museums offer some of the best STEM internships for high school students. 

Do you love science and design? Do you want to learn more about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) topics and careers? Do you enjoy working with the public and sharing what you know with others? If so, an internship at a science museum could be an exciting way to explore your interests, get valuable work experience, boost your college applications, and help build a resume!

Why Apply for a High School Internship at a Science Museum?

STEM internships for high school students can be hard to find and competitive. However, science museums (like air and space museums, natural history museums, and planetariums) are an often-overlooked source of some of the best STEM internships for high school students. If you’re a curious person and you’re interested in science, want to learn more about STEM topics, and appreciate art and design, you may want to consider applying. In addition to getting hands-on learning experience with science concepts and skills, a science museum internship can help you build valuable relationships with STEM and museum professionals – either for free or while getting paid!

What Can You Expect to Do as a High School Intern at a Science Museum?

The specific tasks you may be asked to do will depend on the specific needs of the science museum where you are employed. In general, however, as part of a high school internship at a science museum, you may:

  • Participate in research related to the museum’s collections of specimens and data;

  • Work with the museum’s exhibit curators and educators and learn how art and design play a role in explaining scientific concepts;

  • Educate visitors about the museum’s exhibits and the science behind them;

  • Run demonstrations for and hands-on experiences with museum visitors;

  • Help with the practical aspects of running a museum (such as opening and closing the museum, planning museum events, and working on the museum’s social media accounts);

  • Attend lectures and workshops led by science professionals and behind-the-scenes tours of the museum’s conservation and research facilities; and

  • Go on field trips to local science-related organizations and facilities.

10 of the Best STEM Internships for High School Students at Science Museums

To give you a sense of the available opportunities, we’ve put together a list of just 10 of the best STEM internships for high school students at science museums around the U.S.:

1. ¡Explora! – X Studio: Career Pathways Program

The X Studio: Career Pathways Program is a paid internship for high school juniors and seniors at the ¡Explora! X Studio, an experiential learning center for teens located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The X Studio gives teens access to cutting-edge tools, technologies, and mentors—all with a focus on exploring STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) concepts and projects. High school interns learn how to maintain the museum exhibits and engage with visitors. They also receive training on important workforce and life skills. Interns must be available to work a minimum of 10 (and up to 20) hours a week during at least one full semester.

  • Location: New Mexico (Albuquerque)
  • Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
  • When Offered: Year round
  • Paid

2. California Academy of Sciences – Careers in Science (CiS) Intern Program

The California Academy of Sciences – Careers in Science (CiS) Intern Program is a multi-year paid internship and development program for students who attend one of the high schools in the San Francisco Unified School District and who are from groups that are underrepresented in STEM fields (including girls, Hispanic and Latino/x students, and other students of color). Students apply to the program in 9th or 10th grade.  If they are accepted as interns, they enter the program in June as rising 10th or 11th graders and remain in the program until they graduate from high school. Interns have the opportunity to: do outdoor fieldwork; interact with museum visitors on learning experiences; train in science communication skills; learn about STEM careers from practicing professionals; study financial literacy; receive guidance with the college application process; attend college tours; present at STEM conferences; help design museum exhibits and educational materials; work on a science research or environmental action project with a professional researcher; serve on the CiS Leadership Council; and receive individualized mentorships with STEM experts.

  • Location: California (San Francisco)
  • Grades: (must apply in) 9, 10
  • When Offered: Year round
  • Paid

3. Cleveland Museum of Natural History: Science for Success Internship

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History: Science for Success Internship is a volunteer (unpaid) internship for 9th- and 10th-grade students in the Cleveland-area. Interns work with STEM professionals at the museum who serve as role models and lead the interns through youth-development experiences and hands-on science projects. Interns also work with the museum’s Education and Community Engagement Departments, where they help plan and execute programs and events for underserved and underrepresented audiences in the Cleveland community. This internship focuses on preparing teens to pursue careers in STEM, museums, and other fields through practical work experience, practice with interpersonal skills, and high-school and career mentorship.

  • Location: Ohio (Cleveland)
  • Grades: (must apply in) 8, 9
  • Volunteer 

4. Exploratorium: High School Explainers

 High School Explainers at the Exploratorium in San Francisco are paid to work as part of the museum’s staff. Each year, the museum hires over 130 students between the ages of 15 and 18 (at the time of application) and trains them in a variety of subjects related to the museum’s science exhibits and the practical operation of the museum. Explainers then facilitate visitor-exhibit interactions; open and close the museum; run daily science demonstrations (including animal and plant dissections); and help with museum safety. High School Explainers work between 12 and 19.5 hours per week. The museum emphasizes diversity in the selection of Explainers.

  • Location: California (San Francisco)
  • Ages: 15-18 (at time of application)
  • When Offered: Year round
  • Paid

5. Field Museum: High School Science and Digital Learning Internship

The Field Museum: High School Science and Digital Learning Internship is a five-week paid summer internship for high school students in the Chicagoland area that combines science and artistic design! Interns learn about scientific concepts by working in the museum lab with an expert that they choose. The interns then create stories, movies, drawings, and photos to share what they have learned.

  • Location: Illinois (Chicago)
  • Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
  • When Offered: Summer
  • Paid

6. Museum of Science + Industry Chicago – Farrell Fellows Summer Internship

The Museum of Science + Industry Chicago – Farrell Fellows Summer Internship is a five-week, paid summer internship program for young people (ages 16-22) in the Chicagoland area. Interns learn science as well as public speaking and leadership skills so they can run interactive exhibits and experiments both inside the museum and outside for the larger community. Previous teen interns have created and performed in original stage shows focused on science; engaged in hands-on experiments and with museum guests; and visited public libraries to lead science activities for groups of younger kids.

  • Location: Illinois (Chicago)
  • Ages: 16-22
  • When Offered: Summer
  • Paid

7. Museum of Science: Summer Youth Internship Program

The Museum of Science: Summer Youth Internship Program is a seven-week opportunity for high school students ages 14 – 19. Interns work in the museum’s public education spaces and help behind-the-scenes with the museum’s operations. Interns also attend weekly events such as field trips to local colleges and cultural institutions, workshops on financial literacy, and classes on how to prepare a resume and write a cover letter. The museum offers both paid and unpaid internships.

  • Location: Massachusetts (Boston)
  • Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
  • Ages: 14-19
  • When Offered: Summer
  • Paid and Volunteer (Unpaid)

8. New York Hall of Science: Explainers

NYSCI Explainers is a one-year STEM internship for high school students who live and attend high school in New York City. Explainers run interactive science and engineering-based presentations for museum visitors that demonstrate the properties of chemistry, physics, design thinking, and more. Explainers also: learn communication and teaching skills; explore STEM topics and the scientific process; and attend professional development and peer-based training sessions, career development workshops, STEM Nights, field trips and networking events. Explainers even learn how to create their own short science videos about museum demonstrations and exhibits – gaining experience in storytelling, scriptwriting, interviewing, and filming!

  • Location: New York (New York City)
  • Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
  • When Offered: Year-round
  • Volunteer (Unpaid) 

9. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Explainers Program

The National Air and Space Museum Explainers Program hires high school students to help engage visitors with hands-on activities and interactive demonstrations on topics related to aeronautics such as the forces of flight and humans in orbit. Explainers also respond to visitor questions submitted to the How Things Fly website. Explainers work at either the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC or at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. Applicants must be at least 16 years old, and hours at each location are flexible according to each student’s academic schedule.

  • Location: Washington, D.C. (Metro Area)
  • Ages: 16 and up
  • When Offered: Year-round
  • Paid

10. Houston Museum of Natural Science: Moran Ecoteen Summer Volunteer Program

The Moran Ecoteen Summer Volunteer Program is a two-week summer volunteer opportunity for rising 9th-11th graders in the Houston area who are between the ages of 14 – 18.  Ecoteen volunteers interact with museum staff and visitors while participating in natural science activities.  They assist teachers and work with enthusiastic young campers in the museum’s summer science camp classes.

  • Location: Texas (Houston)
  • Ages: 14 – 18
  • Grades: Rising 9th – 11th graders
  • When Offered: Summer
  • Volunteer (Unpaid)

Want to Find More of the Best Internships for High School Students?

The list above is just a small taste of some of the best STEM internships for high school students offered at science museums in the U.S. To learn about other opportunities in STEM and other focus areas, and to find the one that’s right for you, we encourage you to:

Happy hunting!