Below is a list of undergraduate internship, research, and professional development opportunities in the atmospheric and related sciences. There is a wide range of hands-on learning and financial aid available through these programs. Most opportunities are open to sophomore and junior level students, however some are open to freshman and/or seniors as well. If you would like to add any opportunities to the list, please reach out to us (valpo.ams.nwa@valpo.edu). Special thanks to the Meteorology professors at Valparaiso University, as well as Prof. Clark Evans from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, for helping generate this ever-expanding list of opportunities!

 

Opportunities through Universities:

 

Colorado State University Earth System Modeling and Education Institute (ESMEI)

ESMEI offers paid summer undergraduate research internships at Colorado State University. Interns participate in a ten-week summer program where they join world-class atmospheric scientists investigating the science of clouds, climate and climate change, weather, and modeling. Approximately ten students are selected each year, with applications typically due in early February. Housing, a travel allowance, and stipend are provided.

 

Northeast Partnership for Atmospheric and Related Sciences REU (NEPARS)

A collaborative initiative of Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Plymouth State University, NEPARS provides up to twelve research internships for undergraduate students, particularly freshman- and sophomore-level students, to conduct research across the atmospheric and related sciences. Applications are typically due in mid-February, and a $4,680 stipend, housing, and travel costs are provided.

 

Penn State REU in Climate Science

This ten-week program is available to undergraduate students to pursue research in climate science, scientific inquiry, and science communication. The program seeks to expose students to the full range of scientific exploration, from the generation of hypotheses to communicating research findings and their implications to other scientists and the general public. Approximately twelve internships are available, and students receive a $5,500 stipend and housing. Applications are typically due by mid-February.

 

Princeton University Cooperative Institute for Modeling the Earth System Research Internship Program

The Cooperative Institute for Modeling the Earth System at Princeton University, in collaboration with NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), supports undergraduate and graduate students on 8-10 week research internships in atmospheric, oceanic and earth system science, particularly relating to modeling and prediction. Approximately seven internships are available annually, and students receive a $700/wk stipend, $300/wk housing allowance, and travel support. Applications are typically due in mid-January.

 

Scripps Undergraduate Research Fellowship

This 10-week summer program is designed to engage students in diverse and exciting Earth, ocean and atmospheric sciences research at a world-renowned institution. A limited number of atmospheric science (namely, atmospheric chemistry)-related positions are available each year. Applications are typically due in March and a $5,000 stipend, housing, and travel are provided.

 

Univ. of Alabama-Huntsville Earth System Science Center (ESSC) REU

The Univ. of Alabama-Huntsville ESSC REU program offers sophomore- and junior-level undergraduate students with research opportunities across the atmospheric sciences, with a particular focus on remote sensing and severe weather. The program runs for ten weeks each summer, and up to fifteen internships are available annually. Applications are typically due in mid-February, and a $5,000 stipend, housing, and travel costs are provided.

 

UNC-Asheville Climate Change Science, Impacts, and Resilience REU

This interdisciplinary program, which includes university, federal (NCEI), and private-sector partners, offers students the opportunity to conduct research related to climate change’s impacts on the environment, particularly around the southern Appalachian Mountains, and society. Approximately seven students are selected each year, with applications typically due in mid-February. A $6,000 stipend, housing, and a travel allowance are provided.

 

Univ. of Delaware REU Program in Marine Science

Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, interns work in a research-intensive atmosphere on a topic in chemical, physical, or biological oceanography or marine biology/geology/ biogeochemistry. The program includes weekly research seminars, professional development presentations, and field trips to nearby coastal marine systems. Student support includes a $6,400 stipend, free housing, and travel assistance for the 10-week program. Applications are due mid-February.

 

Univ. of Iowa Interdisciplinary Geospatial Approaches to Watershed Science Program

The Univ. of Iowa’s Dept. of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences offers a research experiences for undergraduate program focused on research in the sustainable provisioning of clean water and food in a midwestern United States agricultural watershed. The program runs for ten weeks and provides students with a $6,000 stipend, meal allowance, and housing. Applications are typically due in mid-February.

 

Univ. of Michigan Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region REU

This interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary program, hosted by the Univ. of Michigan’s Biological Station in northern Michigan, offers students the opportunity to design, conduct, analyze, and present their own mentored research addressing some aspect climate change’s impacts on the Great Lakes. Approximately twelve students are selected each year, with applications typically due in mid-February. A $6,000 stipend, housing, and travel and research allowances are provided.

 

Univ. of Michigan NSF REU Program In Climate and Space Science Observation (PICASSO)

The program is open to students from any academic discipline who are interested in exploring a potential career in the STEM fields of meteorology, climate, and space sciences. Program participants will work closely with faculty, research staff, and graduate students to engage in research from a broad range of disciplines. The program provides students with a $5000 and room & board during the program. Applications are due in late-January.

 

Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln Summer Internships

The Summer Research Program at UNL offers a wide range of hands-on opportunities for current undergraduates with at least one semester of coursework remaining before obtaining a bachelor’s degree. The programs focus on computing and environmental/biology science. Applications are generally due in late-February, and a competitive stipends are available.

 

Univ. of Oklahoma/National Weather Center Research Experiences for Undergraduates

Conduct research across the atmospheric and related sciences over a ten-week summer period with the OU/NWC Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. Approximately twenty students are selected each year, with applications typically due in early February. Housing, a travel allowance, and stipend are provided, and many students subsequently present their research at national conferences.

 

Univ. of Utah Research Experience in Alpine Meteorology (REALM) REU

New for 2020, students involved in the REALM program study the influence of alpine terrain on weather and climate processes and their related societal implications. Applications are typically due in mid-February, and a $6,000 stipend, housing, and travel costs are provided.

 

Vermont Basin Resilience to Extreme Weather Events Internships

A collaborative effort of the Univ. of Vermont and St. Michael’s College, the Vermont Basin Resilience to Extreme Weather Events internship program offers research opportunities in climate, ecology, resource management, and modeling with the goal of improving understanding of the effects of extreme weather events to Vermont’s lake basins. Approximately twenty internships are available, and students receive a $5,000 stipend and housing. Applications are typically due by the end of January.

 

Washington State REU in Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Change in the Pacific Northwest

The REU program goal is to provide undergraduate students in engineering and related fields an opportunity to participate in ongoing active research programs and gain hands-on experience with atmospheric chemistry measurements and modeling. Approximately ten students are selected each year, with applications typically due in February. A $4,700 stipend, free housing, and travel are provided.

 

 

Opportunities through Federal Institutions:

 

AccuWeather Operational Internships

AccuWeather, recognized and documented as one of the most accurate sources of weather forecasts and warnings in the world, hosts a variety of summer internships, including 3 focusing on forecasting. They often look for rising juniors or seniors graduating in December for their summer internship program, but welcome sophomores to apply as well.

 

Department of Energy Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships

The Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship program encourages undergraduate students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers by providing research experiences at one of seventeen Department of Energy laboratories. Applications are typically due in January. A $500/wk stipend, travel, and a housing allowance are provided. Many DOE labs also offer their own summer internships; please visit each lab’s webpage for more information on these programs.

 

NASA DEVELOP Internship Program

NASA’s DEVELOP internship program focuses on interdisciplinarity research in the Earth and related sciences, particularly as it relates to remote-sensing data and their applications. Unlike many of the other internship programs listed here, the DEVELOP program is open to students throughout the year, and also accepts applications from recent graduates and early-career scientists. Summer applications are typically due by the end of February. A variable stipend, dependent on academic level, is provided.

 

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Summer Internship Program

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) offers ten-week, full-time summer internship opportunities across the range of JPL science. A competitive stipend is offered; however, no housing stipend is provided. Applications are typically due at the start of April.

 

NASA Student Airborne Research Program

The Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) is an eight-week summer internship program for rising senior undergraduate students to acquire hands-on research experience in all aspects of a scientific campaign using one or more NASA Airborne Science Program flying science laboratories. Approximately 30 students are selected annually for this eight-week summer program, and applications typically open in the fall.

 

NASA Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Annually, NASA offers approximately twenty separate undergraduate research internships of varying length, focus, and scope. Please visit the above link for further information about each of these programs, including application instructions and deadlines.

 

Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program

The United States’ Navy’s Research Enterprise offers summer undergraduate and graduate research internships at many U.S. Navy facilities nationwide, including several (such as the Naval Research Laboratory and Naval Postgraduate School) that conduct research in the atmospheric and oceanic sciences. A stipend of $7,000-$11,000, depending on level of study, is provided for this ten-week program. Applications are typically due at the end of November.

 

NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab Summer Student Fellowships

This summer fellows program exposes students to a broad range of fields and provides an exciting opportunity for students to conduct research in the Great Lakes region under the mentorship of a researcher or working professional. Approximately ten students are selected each year, with applications typically due in February. A $6,500 stipend is provided.

 

NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research Okeanos Explorer in Training Program

The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) in partnership with Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS), hosts undergraduate and graduate students as well as individuals who have recently graduated from a higher education program in the Okeanos Explorer-in-Training program. Participants gain valuable experience in deepwater mapping and exploration using the latest tools and technology. Applications are typically due in February, and a $5000 stipend is provided.

 

NSF Data Analysis and Statistics Internships

The National Science Foundation’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics is seeking applicants for full- and part-time internships to collaborate on projects that use expertise from a variety of fields, including survey methodology, survey statistics, economics and other social science disciplines to design, study, implement and conduct national surveys to measure the science and engineering enterprise. Participants will have the opportunity to be part of and learn about research projects, evaluation initiatives, surveys, data collection and specialized analyses. Competitive stipends and allowances will be provided.  Applications typically due in late-March.

 

Paid Summer Internships in STEM (PathwayToScience.org)

You can use the PathwaysToScience.org website to browse over 550 paid summer programs for undergraduates, in a variety of STEM disciplines. Use the advanced search portal to help narrow your search.

 

UCAR Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS)

SOARS is dedicated to broadening participation in the atmospheric and related sciences. It is a sophomore undergraduate to graduate program built around a summer research internship, mentoring by top scientists, and a supportive learning community. Approximately ten students are selected each year, with applications typically due by the end of January. Housing, a travel allowance, and stipend are provided, and many students subsequently present their research at national conferences.

 

UCAR Summer Internships in Parallel Computational Science

The SIParCS program offers graduate and undergraduate students with significant hands-on research and development activities in high performance computing (HPC) and related fields that use HPC for scientific discovery and modeling. Approximately ten students are selected each year, with applications typically due in January. Housing, a travel allowance, and stipend are provided.

 

UCAR Unidata Summer Internships

The Unidata Summer Internship program offers graduate students and upper-level undergrads an opportunity to work with Unidata software engineers and scientists on projects drawn from a wide variety of areas that overlap atmospheric and computational sciences. Approximately three students are selected each year, with applications typically due in January. Housing and a travel allowance are provided.

 

William M. Lapenta NOAA Student Internship Program

The William M. Lapenta NOAA Student Internship Program annually provides approximately ten upper-division undergraduate and graduate students with internship opportunities that focus on areas that will meet the present future needs of NOAA’s ever-broadening user community, including research and operations, and address strategic weather-water-climate issues. Applications are typically due at the beginning of February. A $5,000 stipend, housing, and travel arrangements are provided.

 

 

Last modified: January 2021