10 Environmental Engineering Internships for High School Students
Environmental engineering internships give you the chance to help address the environmental challenges we face today. This field blends engineering with sciences like chemistry, biology, and soil science to improve both human health and the environment through innovation and technology.
As an intern in environmental engineering, you could work with consulting firms, industries, government agencies, or public interest groups—whether in offices, labs, or even out in the field. You’ll gain valuable work experience and knowledge that will open up more career opportunities. Plus, you’ll get to work alongside experts in the field, making connections that could be helpful for job opportunities or letters of recommendation. It’s also a great way to stand out to college admissions officers and show your commitment to the environment.
To help you get started, here are 10 environmental engineering internships for high school students.
1. Ladder Internship Program
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average, raising over a million dollars. Interns work closely with their manager at the startup on real-world projects and present their work to the company. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
2. NASA Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) Internships
Location: Virtual and in-person across NASA facilities, depending on the internship
Cost: No cost. Interns can receive a stipend based on session length and academic level
Eligibility: Full-time high school students who are at least 16 years old with a minimum of 3.0 GPA and are US citizens
Application deadline: January (Fall session) | August (Spring session) | October (Summer session)
Program dates: Fall (16-week program, late August or early September to mid-December) | Spring (16-week program, mid-January to early May) | Summer (10-week program, late May or early June to August).
The NASA Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) offers paid internship opportunities virtually or at their locations across the country in a range of subjects, including environmental design. You can check out their list of opportunities here by ticking the “environmental design” option in the “area of interest” filter. As a NASA OSTEM intern, you will conduct NASA research while receiving training, mentorship, and career development opportunities. You will work alongside research scientists and engineers. It is an exceptional opportunity to contribute to the agency’s mission by collecting data and obtaining and analyzing observations while interacting with community members, and disseminating data to the local community.
3. SHTEM – Summer Internship for High Schoolers at Stanford University
Location: Virtual
Cost: No cost or stipend
Eligibility: High school junior or senior who will be at least 14 years old at the start of the program
Application deadline: Applications typically close in January
Program dates: June 17 – August 9
This internship by Stanford University offers high school students an opportunity to work on a multidisciplinary research project. Interns can choose from a diverse range of topics in engineering that match their existing interests and strengths. As an intern, you will be grouped into multifaceted projects that will involve working in a collaborative environment and interacting with your group members. The projects are mentored and overseen by students, faculty, and staff of the university and their affiliated organizations. At the end, you’ll be required to present your work along with your team members to all the program participants.
4. Idaho National Laboratory Internship
Location: Idaho National Laboratory
Cost: No cost. Stipend provided
Eligibility: Full-time high school students with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
Application deadline: Not specified
Program dates: 10-16 weeks in the summer
Idaho National Laboratory, a Department of Energy facility, offers high school students an opportunity to work on research projects under the guidance of experienced engineers and scientists. These internships span a range of STEM fields, including environmental engineering. You can check their internship categories here. As part of the internship program, you will spend 80% of your time at their lab with a mentor applying theoretical knowledge to real-life work. The rest 20% of the program is spent on enrichment activities like workshops, weekly seminars, and skill-building activities that are designed to help with career development. The program ends with a final project that can be completed in a variety of media, like traditional posters, video, or electronic presentations.
5. Stanford Young Investigators Internship
Location: Stanford University
Cost: No cost or stipend
Eligibility: Students who have completed at least one year of high school, live and attend school in the San Francisco Bay Area, and live within 25 miles of the university campus
Application deadline: March 15
Program dates: Third Tuesday in June - first Thursday in August
The Young Investigators internship program invites high school students to spend the summer working in research groups at the university’s laboratories. They receive between 175 to 275 applications annually and accept between 6 to 30 students, making it a fairly selective program. Interns will analyze data to understand evolution and extinction trends, explore practices that form resilient ecosystems, and understand restoration and preservation techniques aimed at improving the health of ecosystems. There are three options available for interns: environment, geology, and energy.
6. ASE Internships by Saturday Academy
Location: Varies depending on the internship
Cost: $40 application fee; A stipend of $1,100, or $650 for part-time positions.
Eligibility: Rising 10th, 11th, or 12th grader (or equivalent) who will be at least 16 by May 15
Application deadline: March 8
Program dates: 8-10 weeks between June and August
Apprenticeships in Science and Engineering (ASE) offer around 75 internships annually at their mentor partner organizations. While these can vary, they fall under one of the general disciplines: Biology, Health or Medicine, Environmental Science, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics. As an intern, you will contribute to the projects at the organization throughout the summer. A few internships in environmental engineering include conducting experiments to better understand water quality and to improve contamination clean-up efforts, and designing and implementing a database for tracking trail hazards.
7. Joint Science Education Project (JSEP)
Location: Virtual
Cost: No cost or stipend
Eligibility: High school students who are in Grade 11 at the time of application
Application deadline: January 31
Program dates: One week in late July or August
The Joint Science Education Project (JSEP), a collaboration between Denmark, Greenland, and the United States, brings together students and teachers from the three countries to study polar environments and the human dimensions of rapid Arctic Change. In this one-week remote internship, students apply scientific and engineering methods under the mentorship of international teachers and scientists. As a participant, you will work with Dartmouth graduate students and faculty to learn about polar research, virtually visit polar research stations, converse with leading polar scientists, and learn how to ask scientific questions. You also get a chance to complete an inquiry-based research project and share your work at a virtual project symposium. After finishing the remote program, you can return the next year for their field-based program, where you spend 3 weeks in Greenland for a fully paid program.
8. University of Pennsylvania’s Teen Research and Education in Environmental Science (TREES) Program
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: No cost or stipend
Eligibility: Philadelphia students who have completed grades 9, 10, or 11 with a minimum GPA of 3.0
Application deadline: First week of February
Program dates: July 8 – August 5
The Teen Research and Education in Environmental Science (TREES) is a selective summer research and mentorship program for high school students. The program offers an opportunity to work one-on-one with a mentor on a project of your choice and design. You will spend the first two weeks gaining hands-on instruction on basic laboratory skills. The remainder of the time is spent on the independent research project that requires you to take a scientific approach to an environmental problem. You will conduct in-depth library research, train in scientific methodology, and conduct fieldwork. Apart from that, you will attend weekly research seminars and career workshops, and go on a field trip to an environmental site. The program ends with a research report and presenting your project to guests at a public presentation.
9. Cuny Crest High School Initiative in Remote Sensing of the Earth Systems Engineering and Sciences (HIRES)
Location: The City College of New York
Cost: No cost. $1000 stipend
Eligibility: New York City Department of Education students currently enrolled in (or have completed) Algebra 1 & 2 with a minimum average of B, and/or pre-calculus. Check other requirements here
Application deadline: Not specified
Program dates: 7 weeks from July to August
High School Initiative in Remote Sensing of the Earth Systems Engineering and Sciences (HIRES) is a program for New York City high school students with little or no access to high-quality STEM education.
Each student is given a research project that focuses on climate, water, weather, ecosystem services, and social and environmental justice. Under the guidance of graduate students and faculty members who serve as mentors, students undertake cutting-edge research that helps them consider the field as a future career opportunity. You will also participate in educational field trips, public speaking workshops, professional development workshops like abstract writing, and technical workshops on GIS, remote sensing, and Python.
10. California Academy of Sciences – Careers in Science (CiS) Intern Program
Location: California Academy of Sciences
Cost: No cost. Stipend provided
Eligibility: Freshmen or sophomores enrolled in San Francisco Unified School District schools who maintain a GPA of 2.5 (Grade of C or higher in science and math)
Application deadline: April 1
Program dates: Multi-year, year-round participation
Careers in Science is a multi-year intern program for San Francisco high school students who come from underrepresented communities in STEM. Interns conduct fieldwork, facilitate learning experiences for visitors, attend interactive training to develop science communication skills, and interact with STEM professionals. Additionally, as an intern, you will attend college tours and present at STEM conferences and facilities. As you advance through the program, you can participate in group projects and work on a science research or environmental action project that will be mentored by an Academy researcher or partner.
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