The Apprenticeships in Science & Engineering (ASE) program connects motivated high school students with mentors in science, technology, engineering and math pre-professional internships. The driving value behind the ASE program is that the interns should contribute to and learn from the mentor's work.
Mentor organizations include universities, hospitals, research institutions and private companies. ASE internships attract rising sophomores, juniors and seniors from throughout the Northwest, and roughly 70% of interns are from backgrounds underrepresented in the sciences. ASE interns have been listed on published research, helped to design and test commercial products and spent countless hours in the field and in the lab.
Browse current internships
Location(s)
- Internships take place throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, including Portland, Eugene, Corvallis, and Vancouver.
Schedule
- Interns complete 296 internship hours with their mentor between June and late August, plus three days for attendance at the orientation and conferences (approximately 318 hours in total).
- Internship hours are usually scheduled by the mentors for 8-5, Monday-Friday.
- We typically do not allow students to be at their internships more than 9 hours per day.
Cost/Compensation
- There is a non-refundable $35 application fee.
- Interns receive a stipend of $1,100 paid in two increments during the summer.
Eligibility Requirements
- Have not been an ASE intern before. A student may only have one ASE internship during their high school career. This is to ensure that more students are able to participate in the ASE program.
- Be a rising 10th, 11th, or 12th grader (or equivalent).
- Be interested in pursuing a career in math and science, motivated to learn, and prepared to participate in a professional environment.
- Live near our internship locations (usually in the Portland-Metro area, and the Albany/Corvallis/Eugene areas) OR have adult family or friends that you can live with during the summer near our internship locations. (ASE does not provide housing for students and does not allow students to live on their own.) If you apply for positions that are greater than 50 miles from your home address or local address provided on your online application, ASE will remove your application from those positions, even if the position is virtual, because all students are required to attend one in-person ASE event.
- Regardless of internship type (in-person or online), ASE is unable to support international applicants at this time.
- Have reliable transportation to and from our internship locations. (Public transportation is fine.) ASE does not provide transportation for students.
- Have proof of health insurance.
- Applicants may not apply for positions wherein the mentor is a family member.
- Meet the minimum age requirements of the position
Deadline
- Early March
Application or Entry Requirements
- Completed online application
- Top three preferred positions
- Cover letter
- Two recommendations
- Transcript
Notifications of Decisions
ASE staff will call students and offer them an internship once all rankings are received. This occur between early April and mid May.
Financial Aid Details
- Application fee is waived for students eligible for Free & Reduced Lunch or those who qualify for financial aid.
Other Dates to Keep in Mind
- Application opens: January
- Midsummer Conference : Late July
- This conference includes: (a) career lectures and seminars led by scientists, engineers, and other technical professionals; (b) hands-on workshops in various technical areas such as DNA electrophoresis, measuring air pollution, and computer modeling; and (c) a workshop on making professional scientific presentations.
- ASE Symposium: Early August
- Interns present their summer projects to each other and other guests. At this conference each student gives a 15-minute oral presentation presided over by professional scientists or engineers. When students are not presenting their own projects, they attend sessions where other students describe their experiences. Students typically spend several hours preparing for the Symposium.
Have other questions?
Saturday Academy, in affiliation with The University of Portland, develops creative, confident, and curious critical thinkers by engaging students in socially conscious and equitable STEM experiences. The Academy was founded in 1983 when two public school teachers recognized that students in their classrooms had interests, or ‘sparks,’ that couldn’t be addressed in the normal school day. Through its weekend courses, summer programs, and apprenticeships, Saturday Academy aims to allow those sparks of curiosity to grow. These programs now inspire approximately 5,000 students annually in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) disciplines to connect the community and empower students to become innovative thinkers and problem solvers of the next generation.
