The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) seeks current high school juniors and seniors for the Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP). This vacancy announcement is for in-person fellowships in Gaithersburg, MD, and Boulder, CO. Learn more at https://www.nist.gov/iaao/academic-affairs-office/high-school-students-ship.
Summary
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) seeks current high school juniors and seniors for the Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP). This vacancy announcement is for in-person fellowships in Gaithersburg, MD, and Boulder, CO. Learn more at https://www.nist.gov/iaao/academic-affairs-office/high-school-students-ship.
Internships - This is a student volunteer program. It does not confer any employment status. NIST SHIP participants will not be paid, must provide their own housing and transportation, and must participate in a Poster Session on Aug 5.
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-time, 40-hrs/wk, June 22-Aug 7. Students work 8 hrs/day, M-F, 8:30AM to 5PM, or as arranged w the mentor. Students are not eligible for paid time off. For unavoidable absences, flexible hrs (such as 4 ten-hr days) are allowed w mentor approval.
The Summer High School Intern Program (SHIP) is a NIST-wide volunteer summer intern program for students who will have finished their junior or senior year of high school by the start of the program and are interested in scientific research. This program is open only to United States citizens and applicants must have a permanent residence within 50 miles of the host NIST campus.
The SHIP program provides research opportunities for students to work with internationally known NIST scientists and engineers, to expose them to cutting-edge research and explore research careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). SHIP gives students an opportunity to:
Gain substantive experience related to academic interests
Learn about a career in public service
Build professional relationships, contacts, and networks
Observe the daily operations and working environment of a premier federal laboratory
Imagine Yourself in the NIST Laboratories
NIST welcomes students with interest in a broad range of STEM disciplines, including but not limited to biochemistry, biology, biophysics, chemistry, computer science, engineering, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron research, physics, and statistics. Students work under the guidance of a research mentor in one of the participating laboratories. The following laboratories participate in SHIP:
Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL)
Engineering Laboratory (EL)
Information Technology Laboratory (ITL)
Material Measurement Laboratory (MML)
NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR)
Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML)
As part of the application process, all applicants must select a first-choice host laboratory for placement consideration. Applicants should carefully choose host laboratories because the completed application is considered primarily by the first-choice host laboratory. Descriptions of the types of research going on at NIST can be found at www.nist.gov/careers/summer-high-school-intern-program-research.
Due to the multidisciplinary nature of NIST's research, we encourage students to look through the different laboratory websites to discover interesting project areas.
All students must work in person at the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, MD, or Boulder, CO, for the entire appointment.
While duties and responsibilities may vary by laboratory, all students must:
Work with their mentor on a designated research project
Compose and submit an abstract halfway through the program summarizing their research project
Create and present a poster during the final week of the program
SHIP participants are invited and strongly encouraged to
Attend a technical seminar series
Participate in professional development and other group activities
Applicants must meet all the following requirements to be eligible for SHIP:
Possess a strong interest in participating in scientific research
Be able to commit to seven (7) consecutive full weeks of program dates
Be a high school junior or senior at time of application
Provide proof of U.S. citizenship
Birth certificate or current passport is required
Driver's license or state identification is NOT acceptable for this requirement
Have an unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher
Have a permanent residence within 50 miles of the host NIST campus
Be able to pass a background check
Qualifications
We are looking for students interested in gaining valuable, hands-on experience working with cutting-edge technology in one of the world’s leading research organizations. Additional preference will be given to students who possess the following qualities:
A high level of motivation and a positive inquisitive workplace demeanor
Interest in conducting technical research in a federal laboratory in Gaithersburg, MD, or Boulder, CO
Ability to commit to eleven (7) continuous weeks (Monday through Friday) during the summer
Education
Currently enrolled as a high school junior or senior (at time of application) at an accredited high school
Unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
Submit all materials by the closing date of the announcement
Additional information
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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.
SHIP participants do not earn benefits. SHIP is a student volunteer program. It does not confer any employment status. During their tenure at NIST, students will not be paid, and must provide their own housing and transportation.
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.
At any time between Feb 17th and April 17th, students may be contacted for a phone or in-person interview or students may receive an offer of a position. While we encourage students to investigate what type of research is currently going on at NIST, students are not required nor encouraged to contact potential mentors. Students should be aware that actively soliciting more than two offers from different mentors will result in disqualification from the program. All students will receive information regarding the final status of their application by April 18th.
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.
SHIP participants do not earn benefits. SHIP is a student volunteer program. It does not confer any employment status. During their tenure at NIST, students will not be paid, and must provide their own housing and transportation.
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.
A complete application must include (NOTE: Applicants must upload items 1-5 through the documents selection section. PDF is the preferred format for all submitted documents.):
Resume which includes name, email, high school, unweighted GPA, and graduation date. Uploaded pdf is the preferred format.
Personal statement (one page maximum) which will include:
Description of future plans after high school graduation
High school transcript
Official or unofficial is acceptable for application
If accepted into the program, an official transcript is required
Transcript must indicate that the applicant's class standing is 11th grade/a Junior, or 12th grade/a Senior
Availability Form
Signed by the applicant and a parent/legal guardian
Confirms applicant's commitment to volunteer in-person at NIST for all days of the work week for a continuous 7-week period during the summer if a position is offered and accepted
Acceptable forms of proof of U.S. Citizenship include
a Certified Birth Certificate,
U.S. Passport,
U.S. Passport Card,
Naturalization Certificate,
Certificate of Citizenship,
Consular Report of Birth (of U.S. citizen) Abroad, or
Certification of Birth
Social security cards, school identification cards, and driver's licenses do not meet the requirements for proof of U.S. citizenship.
Submitted proof of U.S. citizenship must have all Social Security numbers and/or dates of birth removed (blanked out, blackened out, made illegible, etc.) before uploading into the application system.
Two (2) letters of recommendation
One must come from a teacher in a STEM field
The second may be written by any teacher or a professional reference, such as a club advisor, coach, volunteer supervisor, or workplace supervisor.
Applicants must notify their references through the online application system
Use references' personal emails to avoid firewall issues
References must submit their letter via the online application module within 4 calendar days after the vacancy closes. Letters for the 2026 SHIP program must be submitted by 11:59PM ET on January 30, 2026
Please note: By design, SHIP application data entry fields are not intended for the insertion of sensitive personally identifiable information (SPII), and may contain data or detail which, in aggregate context, can be particularly sensitive or confidential. Please take Federal best practice precautions in not inserting any extraneous data or any data which is not explicitly requested. For example, since social security number and passport numbers are NOT requested, please do not enter this SPII in any SHIP data fields. You should only provide the requested information.
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.
To apply for this position, complete the online application and submit the documents specified in the Required Documents section of the announcement no later than the announcement closing date.
To begin, click the application link from the NIST SHIP webpage (https://www.nist.gov/iaao/academic-affairs-office/high-school-students-ship)
Click Apply Online to access the online application. Follow the prompts. This vacancy does not accept resumes or uploaded documents from USAJOBS. As expected, USAJOBS will notify you that this announcement does not accept USAJOBS resumes or documents. Prompts will direct you to upload documents directly into the application system. All documents are required and must be submitted for consideration. PDF is the preferred format for all documents.
Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
Upon clicking submit at the end of the application process, you will receive an on-screen notification that you have successfully submitted your application. Select Return to USAJOBS to verify your updated status in the USAJOBS Applications section.
To verify the status of your application, log in to your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, and select Track this application. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
In the status information, you can also see the status of your letters of recommendation. For example, if one letter has been received you will see “1 of 2 references received”. References have up to 4 days after the announcement closing date to submit their letters. If you notice a letter missing and it is close to the deadline, you may want to give your reference a friendly reminder. The system will also send an automated reminder to references 2 days before the final due date.
To return to your saved applicationwhile the announcement is open, log in to your USAJOBS account at https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login and click Applications. Click on the position title, then select Edit my application. You may update your application at any time before the closing of the announcement.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit the online application and supporting documents well before the announcement closing date.
Problems Completing Your Application:
If you have problems completing your online application, including problems submitting your supporting documents, please email ship@nist.gov.
You must complete this application and submit all required documents by 11:59PM EST on the announcement closing date.
A complete application must include (NOTE: Applicants must upload items 1-5 through the documents selection section. PDF is the preferred format for all submitted documents.):
Resume which includes name, email, high school, unweighted GPA, and graduation date. Uploaded pdf is the preferred format.
Personal statement (one page maximum) which will include:
Description of future plans after high school graduation
High school transcript
Official or unofficial is acceptable for application
If accepted into the program, an official transcript is required
Transcript must indicate that the applicant's class standing is 11th grade/a Junior, or 12th grade/a Senior
Availability Form
Signed by the applicant and a parent/legal guardian
Confirms applicant's commitment to volunteer in-person at NIST for all days of the work week for a continuous 7-week period during the summer if a position is offered and accepted
Acceptable forms of proof of U.S. Citizenship include
a Certified Birth Certificate,
U.S. Passport,
U.S. Passport Card,
Naturalization Certificate,
Certificate of Citizenship,
Consular Report of Birth (of U.S. citizen) Abroad, or
Certification of Birth
Social security cards, school identification cards, and driver's licenses do not meet the requirements for proof of U.S. citizenship.
Submitted proof of U.S. citizenship must have all Social Security numbers and/or dates of birth removed (blanked out, blackened out, made illegible, etc.) before uploading into the application system.
Two (2) letters of recommendation
One must come from a teacher in a STEM field
The second may be written by any teacher or a professional reference, such as a club advisor, coach, volunteer supervisor, or workplace supervisor.
Applicants must notify their references through the online application system
Use references' personal emails to avoid firewall issues
References must submit their letter via the online application module within 4 calendar days after the vacancy closes. Letters for the 2026 SHIP program must be submitted by 11:59PM ET on January 30, 2026
Please note: By design, SHIP application data entry fields are not intended for the insertion of sensitive personally identifiable information (SPII), and may contain data or detail which, in aggregate context, can be particularly sensitive or confidential. Please take Federal best practice precautions in not inserting any extraneous data or any data which is not explicitly requested. For example, since social security number and passport numbers are NOT requested, please do not enter this SPII in any SHIP data fields. You should only provide the requested information.
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.
To apply for this position, complete the online application and submit the documents specified in the Required Documents section of the announcement no later than the announcement closing date.
To begin, click the application link from the NIST SHIP webpage (https://www.nist.gov/iaao/academic-affairs-office/high-school-students-ship)
Click Apply Online to access the online application. Follow the prompts. This vacancy does not accept resumes or uploaded documents from USAJOBS. As expected, USAJOBS will notify you that this announcement does not accept USAJOBS resumes or documents. Prompts will direct you to upload documents directly into the application system. All documents are required and must be submitted for consideration. PDF is the preferred format for all documents.
Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
Upon clicking submit at the end of the application process, you will receive an on-screen notification that you have successfully submitted your application. Select Return to USAJOBS to verify your updated status in the USAJOBS Applications section.
To verify the status of your application, log in to your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, and select Track this application. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
In the status information, you can also see the status of your letters of recommendation. For example, if one letter has been received you will see “1 of 2 references received”. References have up to 4 days after the announcement closing date to submit their letters. If you notice a letter missing and it is close to the deadline, you may want to give your reference a friendly reminder. The system will also send an automated reminder to references 2 days before the final due date.
To return to your saved applicationwhile the announcement is open, log in to your USAJOBS account at https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login and click Applications. Click on the position title, then select Edit my application. You may update your application at any time before the closing of the announcement.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit the online application and supporting documents well before the announcement closing date.
Problems Completing Your Application:
If you have problems completing your online application, including problems submitting your supporting documents, please email ship@nist.gov.
You must complete this application and submit all required documents by 11:59PM EST on the announcement closing date.
