Since launching in 2010, the Youth Engagement through Science (YES!) internship program has connected local youth with Smithsonian collections, experts, and training to inspire them to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. This internship experience provides youth from communities traditionally underrepresented in science careers with the resources needed to help them to achieve their ultimate goal of attending college.
During six weeks in the summer, students who participate in YES! work side-by-side with Smithsonian researchers and educators behind the scenes and away from the public areas of the museum. Interns are given the unique opportunity to work in the Museum’s vast research collections where they see rare objects and specimens, including meteorites, mummies, and mammoth skulls!
Over the course of the internship, YES! interns acquire valuable technological skills and enhance their written and verbal communication abilities through guided workshops. Working with Museum educators, they help visitors experience the Museum in interactive ways.
In early fall, interns attend a ten-week college preparatory program that rounds out the third component of the YES! program. Students will be guided through the college application and orientation process in sessions covering a variety of topics. Interns will also tour local colleges to help them prepare for their pursuit of higher learning. To continue refining their communication skills, students will resume their rotations in the exhibit halls.
The YES! program aims to form a bridge between the Smithsonian Institution and students interested in STEM careers by providing new avenues for them to understand and participate in scientific pursuits at the next level.
Applications for the 2012 YES! program are currently available and are due April 1, 2012. To apply, visit https://solaa.si.edu/solaa/SOLAAHome.html and create an account. Once you create an account and log-in, click “Search for Program.” Next to “Office/Museum/Research Center,” is a drop-down box; select “National Museum of Natural History” from the list. Next to “Program that you wish to apply for,” there is another drop-down box. Select “Youth Engagement Through Science” from the list. You can now begin completing your application.
The program is open only to students who are currently in the 9th-11th grade and the stipend will be awarded to students only upon completion of both the summer and fall sessions.
