Students will participate as guest researchers in hands-on neutron science or engineering at the NIST Center for Neutron Research mentored by NIST staff. Full-time, part-time, and volunteer positions are available year round. Applications are accepted throughout the year. Since only a small number of CORE appointments are available in the summer, students should instead apply to the NIST SURF program by late January. For more information on CORE, refer to the website or email core@nist.gov .
Summary
Students will participate as guest researchers in hands-on neutron science or engineering at the NIST Center for Neutron Research mentored by NIST staff. Full-time, part-time, and volunteer positions are available year round. Applications are accepted throughout the year. Since only a small number of CORE appointments are available in the summer, students should instead apply to the NIST SURF program by late January. For more information on CORE, refer to the website or email core@nist.gov .
Students with a high school degree who are enrolled in a STEM degree program at an accredited U.S. undergrad institution or are a recent graduate (within one year) from a STEM program at an accredited U.S. undergrad institution. Students currently enrolled in a post-graduate program are ineligible . Focus areas include Materials Science, Condensed Matter Science, Biomaterials, Chemical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, and Computational Science. CORE DOES NOT OFFER POSITIONS IN CYBERSECURITY.
Students selected for the CORE (CHRNS Outreach Research Experience) program will participate in hands-on neutron science research or on an engineering project at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) in Gaithersburg, MD, working closely with NIST staff. Descriptions of the types of research performed by CHRNS undergraduate interns are available on our CORE presentations page and on our SURF presentations page. This internship is sponsored by the Center for High Resolution Neutron Scattering (CHRNS), which is a national user facility jointly funded by NIST and the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Agreement No. DMR-2010792.
The CORE program is primarily designed to facilitate undergraduate internships during the academic school year, and only a small number of positions may be available during the summer. Students must apply by March 20th to be considered for a summer internship through CORE. Students interested in a summer research internship are strongly encouraged to apply to the NIST SURF Program (instead of CORE) by the end of January, which provides NIST-wide internships for up to 150 students each summer. To be considered for SURF opportunities at the NCNR, please select MML/NCNR - Materials Science as your first choice laboratory program when applying.
As part of the application process, students are required to submit the names of two references who must be teachers, mentors, or supervisors in STEM-related fields. Letters from friends or relatives are not acceptable. Applicants should instruct their two recommenders to upload letters to this Google Form (https://forms.gle/uGEJokkb1FWbzFvz5) no more than one week after application submission date. For summer appointments, the student application and letters of recommendation are due by March 20. The CORE application will not be considered for review if letters of recommendation are submitted after the deadline. Reference letters submitted by email or traditional mail will not be accepted.
Participants in the CORE program are NOT eligible for vacation or paid time off. For summer appointments, participants should plan for a 9 - 11 week period without interruption. Students are appointed as guest researchers not federal employees.
Students will be accepted as volunteers or paid a stipend depending upon the project. The stipend will be based upon the appointment length. For out-of-town students working at NIST, housing and travel support may be available. (Students are responsible for making their own housing arrangements.)
Qualifications
Student applicants must be a U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident.
Student applicants must be enrolled in an accredited U.S. undergraduate institution or be a recent graduate (within one year) from a STEM program at an accredited U.S. undergrad institution.
Students currently enrolled in a post-graduate program are not eligible.
Education
At the time the internship begins, applicants must have a high school degree or equivalent and must be currently enrolled in a STEM degree program at an accredited U.S. undergraduate institution or be a recent graduate (within one year) from a STEM degree program at an accredited U.S. undergraduate institution. Students currently enrolled in a post-graduate program are not eligible.
Additional information
The CORE internship is sponsored by the Center for High Resolution Neutron Scattering (CHRNS), which is a national user facility jointly funded by NIST and the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Agreement No. DMR-2010792. The goals of the program are consistent with the CHRNS grant requirements which include:
Emphasis on broadening participation by underrepresented groups in STEM
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated based on both level of knowledge, skills and abilities, and goodness of fit to the available projects. Rolling applications will be reviewed in less than two months after submission. Applications submitted for summer positions will be reviewed by May 1.
Letters of recommendation are required and must be submitted by the recommenders using the Google Form (https://forms.gle/uGEJokkb1FWbzFvz5). Applications that are missing either of the two letters of recommendation by the stated deadline will be rejected.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Applicants are required to submit a resume, personal statement (1-2 pages) that includes research interests, cumulative transcripts (unofficial are acceptable during the application submission stage), proof of health insurance, and two letters of recommendation.
Instructions for uploading documents: On "Select Resume" screen, upload your CV from your USAJobs account. On the next "Select Documents" screen, upload your transcript as a "transcript" (or "other") document. Your personal statement (which should include research interests) should be uploaded as "other" document with a label of "personal statement." The proof of insurance should also be entered as "other" document with a label of "proof of insurance.
"After you click on "Continue to Agency website," another page entitled "Documents" will appear later in the application. At this point, you will be asked to assign the files uploaded on the "Select Resume" and "Select Documents" screens to each type of required document . Note that your resume, transcript, personal statement, and proof of health insurance should all be uploaded into the respective designated fields.
Instructions for two letters of recommendation: As part of the application process, students are required to submit the names of two references who should be teachers, mentors, or supervisors in STEM-related fields (Refer to Requirements section). Letters from friends or relatives are not acceptable. Please instruct references to upload letters to this Google Form https://forms.gle/uGEJokkb1FWbzFvz5no more than one week after application submission date. For summer appointments, letters of recommendation are due on the application deadline of March 20. The CORE application will not be considered for review if letters of recommendation are submitted after the deadline. Reference letters submitted by email or traditional mail will not be accepted.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Student applicants will be updated on the status of their application within 2 months from the receipt of their application. Student applicants for summer internships will be notified of acceptance into the program by end of May.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Applicants are required to submit a resume, personal statement (1-2 pages) that includes research interests, cumulative transcripts (unofficial are acceptable during the application submission stage), proof of health insurance, and two letters of recommendation.
Instructions for uploading documents: On "Select Resume" screen, upload your CV from your USAJobs account. On the next "Select Documents" screen, upload your transcript as a "transcript" (or "other") document. Your personal statement (which should include research interests) should be uploaded as "other" document with a label of "personal statement." The proof of insurance should also be entered as "other" document with a label of "proof of insurance.
"After you click on "Continue to Agency website," another page entitled "Documents" will appear later in the application. At this point, you will be asked to assign the files uploaded on the "Select Resume" and "Select Documents" screens to each type of required document . Note that your resume, transcript, personal statement, and proof of health insurance should all be uploaded into the respective designated fields.
Instructions for two letters of recommendation: As part of the application process, students are required to submit the names of two references who should be teachers, mentors, or supervisors in STEM-related fields (Refer to Requirements section). Letters from friends or relatives are not acceptable. Please instruct references to upload letters to this Google Form https://forms.gle/uGEJokkb1FWbzFvz5no more than one week after application submission date. For summer appointments, letters of recommendation are due on the application deadline of March 20. The CORE application will not be considered for review if letters of recommendation are submitted after the deadline. Reference letters submitted by email or traditional mail will not be accepted.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Student applicants will be updated on the status of their application within 2 months from the receipt of their application. Student applicants for summer internships will be notified of acceptance into the program by end of May.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
