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Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

High School Internship Program

Five teenagers -- three girls and two boys -- standing together, smiling, in a science lab. Three of the teens are wearing white lab coats. One boy is waving.
High school interns enjoying their experience at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Smithsonian image

About the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) High School Internship Program

The NMNH High School Internship Program is a career immersion program for youth between the ages of 14 to 19, who are currently enrolled in high school (grades 9 to 11) in the Washington, D.C., region. The program runs from June to August and provides interns with practical experience through a hands-on internship with NMNH staff. By participating in the program, interns will also have access to behind-the-scenes tours, field trips, workshops, and college preparatory information. 

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in the NMNH High School Internship Program.

Information on the application process will be available February 3, 2025. Please check back at that time.

What Is in It for You?

  • Internships with a National Museum of Natural History mentor 
  • Opportunities to assist with NMNH science research or museum projects within various museum departments
  • Training to effectively engage public audiences and your peers on science and museum topics
  • An opportunity to meet other high school students who share similar interests
  • Field trips and behind-the-scenes tours
  • Information on college preparation
  • A stipend
     

Photo Gallery

A teenage girl wearing a black jacket and blue gloves sitting at a lab table. She is holding a pipette in her right hand and inserting it into a test tube in her left hand.
Working in a lab. Smithsonian image
A teen girl sitting at a table, making a presentation to a younger child. An iPad displaying a photo is propped on the table and there are objects and scraps of paper on the table.
Making presentations to the public. Smithsonian image
Two teenagers squatting near manhole covers on a sidewalk next to a storm drain. One holds a brush and one is placing a storm drain marker on the sidewalk near the storm drain opening in the curb.
Marking storm drains. Smithsonian image
A teenage girl sitting at a table holding a large cockroach on the back of her hand.
Holding a Madagascar hissing cockroach. Smithsonian image
Six teenagers standing around a table that more than a dozen taxidermic birds on it, a taxidermic snowy owl, and a skeleton of a large wading bird. A man in a black baseball cap is gesturing as he speaks to the group.
Touring the Birds collection. Smithsonian image
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