NAU/NASA Space Grant Office
For Interested Students
Student Application Dates and Deadlines
- Student Applications open every year on March 1 at 12:00AM AZ MST
- Student Applications close every year on March 31 at 12:00AM AZ MST
- No late submissions are accepted, online applications open and close promptly at specified times above through Qualtrics
- Student Internship Offers are extended throughout the month of April
- Student Offer Acceptance Deadline is in early May
- Students who apply to other Government Funded Internship Programs must ultimately choose which funding award to accept.
- Students can NOT accept multiple funding sources for their research projects when accepting NASA Space Grant Funding.
Student Eligibility
In order to be eligible, students must be a:
- citizen or permanent resident of the United States or its possessions AND
- be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at NAU
This is a Fall/Spring Internship
Students graduating prior to the start of the spring semester of the internship are not eligible.
What is Required of you as an Intern
Curiosity, motivation, professionalism, good communication, and a commitment to learn and contribute are a must. Internships begin with an orientation that takes place at the beginning of the academic year early in the Fall semester and culminate with a statewide Undergraduate Research Symposium at the end of the spring semester. These two meetings are mandatory. Several weeks in advance of the symposium, each intern is required to submit a brief abstract summarizing internship work for the formal symposium book of abstracts, and an associated PowerPoint presentation. Interns are also asked to complete tracking forms at the orientation and an online program evaluation at the end of the first semester. Attending the orientation, symposium, and submitting the few noted deliverables represents your commitment required by NASA Space Grant. All other commitments are defined and agreed upon by you and your mentor when you establish your working relationship at the beginning of the academic year.
Matching Interns to Projects
Mentors will rank their intern applications based on the content and quality of the students responses to three open-ended questions. GPA, motivation for applying, interest-level, potential, and involvement (work, volunteerism, other activities) are also considered. Experience is NOT a factor in the selection process as the internship is designed to provide first research opportunities.
Internship Locations
NAU/NASA Space Grant Internship/Fellowship opportunities are offered at multiple locations across Flagstaff, Arizona as well as on campus each year. Below is a list of past and current internship locations:
- NAU: College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences
- NAU: College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences
- Lowell Observatory
- NAU Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals
- USGS Flagstaff: Astrogeology Science Center
- USGS Flagstaff: Southwest Biological Science
- USGS Flagstaff: Arizona Water Science Center
- USGS Flagstaff: Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
- USGS Flagstaff: Western Geographic Science Center
- Arizona Daily Sun: Flagstaff Office
Project Funding and Pay
This internship is funded by NASA Space Grant, and whenever possible, through the generous contributions of mentors. The NAU/NASA Space Grant Undergraduate Research Internship program works hard to engage the largest number of students possible. Each year, we are able to extend the internship funding base to a larger group of undergraduates through much appreciated financial assistance provided by mentors who are able to full-fund or split-fund their interns. Interns may work may work a maximum of 10 hours/week over the Fall and Spring semesters.
| Education Level | Hourly Pay Rate/Total Awarded Hours per Internship | Materials and Supplies Award |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | $15.50/hr x 300 hours = $4,650 | $250 |