Are you a high school, undergraduate, or graduate student looking to gain experience in science writing or science communication? While there are many opportunities to gain training through student internships, sometimes they can be difficult to track down.
Below is a list of currently running science writing or science communication internship programs. For Chicago residents, there is a Chicago-specific section towards the bottom of the page. For your convenience, you can also download this list as an excel document at the bottom of the page!
If you have any additional internships you think should be added to this page or encounter any broken links, feel free to reach out to me at cnowick2@gmail.com.
| Name | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| AAAS Mass Media Fellowship | Undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and those within 1 year completion of any |
| Science Media Center | Undergraduates, postgrad students, and early career professionals |
| Audobon | Students and recent graduates |
| Associated Press | Full time students, recent graduates |
| Environmental Defense Fund | Undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates |
| National Air and Space Museum | High school students, undergraduates, graduate students, and any of those who have recently graduated |
| National Association of Science Writers | Any underrepresented minority, preference to students and early career professionals |
| Newsweek | Undergraduates, graduate students, and early career professionals |
| Research America | Undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers |
| Whitsell Innovations | PhD level scientists |
| National Academies | Graduate students, those who have completed their graduate degree in the last 5 years (click here for more info) |
| Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography | Current or recent graduate students |
| Society for Developmental Biology | Graduate students |
| American Geoscience Institute | Undergraduate or graduate students in geosciences |
| Brookhaven National Lab | Undergraduate and graduate students |
| MD Anderson Research Medical Library | Must be enrolled as undergraduate or graduate student in TX |
| Princeton | Undergraduate students |
| Broad Institute (MIT) | Bachelor’s degree or higher, background in science, journalism, and/or multimedia production is a plus |
| North Carolina Museum of Natural Science | College sophomore or higher, recent graduates |
| The Scientist | Must be a college graduate |
| NASA | Junior or senior undergraduate |
| The Environmental Magazine | High school or undergraduates |
| Advanced Science Exploratory Program | High school and undergraduate students |
| Museum of Science (Boston) | High school students |
| Mother Jones | Cannot currently be in school |
| Outside Magazine | Early career journalists |
| Stat News | Preference to candidates with degree in journalism |
| Science News | People planning career in science writing (preference to people completing an advanced degree in journalism with focus in science writing |
| Popular Science | Those with a passion for science reporting or multimedia journalism |
| Smithsonian | Strong scientific background and flair for writing about science for a non-scientific audience (more info) |
| MIT Press | N/A |
| Schmidt Ocean Institute | N/A |
| Sky and Telescope | N/A |
| Smithsonian National Zoo | Application criteria varies |
| Mass General Brigham | Application criteria varies |
| The Geological Society of America | N/A |
| ORISE | Application criteria varies |
Chicago-Specific Opportunities
| C2ST | Undergraduate and graduate students |
| Field Museum | Undergraduate and graduate students |
| Museum of Science and Industry | Ages 16-22 |
| Argonne National Lab | Must be currently enrolled full-time at an accredited institution and have completed at least sophomore year of schooling with a demonstrated writing ability and an interest in science. |
| FermiLab | Recent graduates of a science-writing or journalism program or recent undergraduates with a degree in English, journalism, communications or science |
| Adler Planetarium | High school students |
| Chicago Botanic Gardens | Application criteria varies |
| Lincoln Park Zoo | Application criteria varies |
Christina Nowicki 
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