Do you offer internships year-round?

Yes, SERC offers internships throughout the year with the majority of internships taking place in the summer.

When are applications due?

The application period for summer internships is mid-November through February 15. The application period for spring, winter, and fall internships varies by opportunity. Please check specific listings for details.

Who is eligible for a SERC internship?

Internships are available to currently enrolled undergraduate and Master's students, or students who have recently graduated from undergraduate or Master's programs. Internships are open to US citizens, US permanent residents, and international students. For more information, visit our Eligibility page.

 

How do I apply for an internship and what is included in the application?

Fall, winter, and spring opportunities will be posted periodically, and each listing will have specific information about what application materials are requested. The summer application asks for an essay, CV or resume, unofficial academic transcript, and one recommendation letter. Detailed application instructions and tips can be found on the How to Apply page. Note that if applying to the summer science writing internship, additional writing samples are requested. For more information, please see the Science Writing Internship page.

How do I apply for the REU internship?

Applicants interested in the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) summer internship must also apply through our standard summer internship application in the SOLAA application portal. See How to Apply for more information. If selected, those that are eligible for REU funding will be notified.

Are these paid internships?

Yes, interns receive a stipend of $650 per week.

Are there specific start and end dates for the internships?

Internships are typically 10-16 weeks long. Exact start and end dates are generally mutually decided by the intern and their supervisor in order to accommodate the needs of different interns and of specific projects. Summer internships are scheduled to coincide with the summer breaks at most colleges and universities. If you have specific requirements (a specific date that you can't start before or a specific date when you need your internship to end) you can mention that in your essay or that can be discussed during an interview.

How many hours per week is a typical internship and what are the daily hours like?

Most SERC internships are full-time, 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday. Many internships follow typical work times - around 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, etc. Due to the nature of environmental field work, some research projects may require occasional early or late days to accommodate things like high/low tides, avoiding midday summer heat, etc. If you’ve reached the interview stage, please check in with the lab about these kinds of expectations. Alternate schedules for part-time or remote internships may be awarded, but this is at the discretion of the supervisor for an individual project.

What are some of the projects that past interns have been involved in?

Take a look at what our past interns have said about their internship experience! We also have a playlist of some videos that interns have made about their projects on the SERC YouTube channel. Additionally, if you look at the pages for the labs listed under Internship Topics, some of them have information about past interns.

What is a typical day like?

There is not just one typical day. Interns in lab projects will likely spend much of their time in the lab or outside in the field, depending on their project. They may also spend time on the computer entering data, synthesizing data, and writing. Projects in education and participatory science will vary. Exploring the Internship Topics page is encouraged to learn more. All summer interns will participate in group professional development workshops on Fridays.

Can I receive academic credit?

The Smithsonian awards no academic credit for studies conducted at the Institution. However, SERC may be able to assist in working with universities to establish mechanisms for awarding credits to students. Representatives of colleges and universities wishing to develop formal agreements should contact the Office of Academic Appointments and Internships. Students are encouraged to work out direct arrangements with advisors and departments.

Are there remote internship opportunities?

We may have some remote internship opportunities, though the majority of our internships require folks to be on-site because they involve field work and lab work components. Remote research opportunities are more computational and tend to focus on things like data analysis or computer modeling. Certain public engagement projects such as those focused on science writing or participatory science may also have the ability to be remote. For the summer, remote opportunities are not listed separately from on-site opportunities and the specifics of a project are generally not discussed until the interview stage. If you are ONLY able to participate in a remote internship, please include that in your essay.

Is there housing for interns at SERC?

For most interns, on-site dormitory housing is available free of charge. The dorms are equipped with communal kitchens, bathrooms, common areas, laundry, and wi-fi.

What is it like to live in Edgewater, Maryland?

SERC is located about 10 miles south of Annapolis, Maryland and about 25 miles from Washington, DC. The Edgewater area will likely feel more rural than a typical US college town. SERC’s 2,650-acre campus spans forests, wetlands, marshes, and 16 miles of protected shoreline. There are hiking trails throughout campus, and interns also have access to bikes, canoes, and kayaks. SERC does not have a cafeteria on-site and there are very few restaurants immediately nearby, so interns should expect to pack their own lunches most days. The dorms are equipped with full kitchens. Interns who want a more urban outing can explore Annapolis, DC, and Baltimore. It’s about a 30-minute drive to the nearest DC metro station, which provides easy public transportation around the city, including to many of the Smithsonian museums.

Do I need to bring a car?

There is no direct public transportation to SERC and no amenities within easy walking distance of campus, so if possible, we recommend interns bring a vehicle for personal transportation. For interns without a car, carpooling with other interns for running errands or ridesharing has generally worked out. The dorms are located right next to the main laboratory building so a car is not necessary for reporting in each day, and should a car be needed for work purposes, SERC has a fleet of vehicles available.

How do I submit letters of recommendation?

For summer internships, a letter of recommendation is required and must be submitted through the SOLAA portal – please do not email us recommendation letters directly. In the References section of the application, submit the contact information for at least one professional reference. Then you MUST click the envelope icon in order to trigger SOLAA to send an email request to your recommender. Please alert your reference to look out for this email from SOLAA and encourage them to double check their spam folder just in case.

How many letters of recommendation are required?

One recommendation letter is required for the summer internship application. You may submit additional letters, especially if the focus of each is notably unique, but please be mindful of the reviewers’ time when considering how many to submit.

Who should I ask to write my letter of recommendation?

Please only ask for recommendation letters from professional references (not peers, family, etc). Choose someone who is best able to speak about your academic skills, problem-solving, work ethic, communication, etc – someone like a college professor, supervisor, or coach would be a good choice. If you have a science professor who can specifically talk about your science abilities, that may be a wise choice, but your letter does not have to come from a science class, especially if there is someone else who may write a stronger letter.

How do I know if my reference has submitted their recommendation letter?

In SOLAA, you can keep track of whether your recommendation letter has been submitted yet one of two ways. Within your application, go to the References tab and check the ‘Completed’ section of the reference table. You can also check the References section of your SOLAA applicant dashboard that you see immediately after logging in.

What if my recommendation writer doesn’t meet the application deadline?

SERC generally allows a two-week grace period after the application deadline for recommendation letters to come in, since we know this part of the process is partly beyond the applicant’s control. It’s always best to give your recommenders plenty of notice, be clear about the application deadline, and send them a reminder when the deadline is coming up.

When will I hear back about whether or not I was accepted?

For spring, winter, and fall internships, there are specific projects that have a dedicated posting associated with them. Notifications are generally made within one month of the application deadline. For summer internships, all applications go into a central pool where they are reviewed by all interested labs and supervisors. Applications will not be reviewed until after the February 15 deadline. The application review timeline varies somewhat by lab, but we try to notify all applicants by mid-April.