Internship Experiences

The Gatton Academy promotes optional summer time internship and research experiences to each of our students. Through summer time programs, students are able to explore possible career frontiers to better refine their interests within the STEM fields.

Myriad options are offered. Internship and research opportunities range in duration from a few weeks of the summer to all summer long. Internships may be paid or unpaid. Some internship options include:

• Competitive research internships at both the high school and undergraduate level. These programs range from costing the student money to paying students handsomely. These programs have the earliest deadlines (often December – February), and many programs that fall in this category are considered the most prestigious. These programs can offer students internships at some of the most renowned facilities in the nation and world.
• Internships in student's hometown. For the student who needs to be close to home for the summer, local internships around Kentucky are often possible. Students may shadow a local professional, do research at the college or university closest to the student's home, or work in a STEM-focused company in their hometown.
• Research internships at WKU. Research opportunities at WKU are most accessible during the summer when professors are hard at work on their projects, but most students are away. These research positions can be full-time and paid. They may last for only a few weeks, or they may last all summer. Gatton students who choose these positions gain research skills quickly. Because Florence Schneider Hall is closed during the summer, Gatton students must find alternative housing options. Past students have either stayed in the WKU summer residence hall (for a weekly fee) or stayed with a family member or friend for part of the summer. A few of our students live near enough WKU's campus that they are able to commute.

How to Find Internships

Students and their families may browse through internship programs using their Naviance Family Connection username and password. Internships are posted under the "Enrichment Programs" option within Naviance. Students generally apply for summer programs starting in December thru early in the spring semester. Students are encouraged to work on their applications well before the deadlines and submit them to the Coordinator: Research, Internships and Scholarships and WKU's Office of Scholar Development for review before submitting their completed applications. Any student or student's family member may contact the Coordinator: Research, Internships and Scholarships about the Gatton Academy's internship program at 270-745-3167.

Summer Time Research Internships Grant

The Gatton Academy offers grants to students between their junior and senior years to support summer time research internships. Grant applications are reviewed and approved in late March each year. Grants of up to $3,000 are awarded, depending on the quality of the proposal and the number of hours one will devote to research during the summer. Placements can be in any STEM discipline, anywhere in the world where an applicant finds a supervising sponsor who will oversee them–universities, governmental laboratories, and STEM industries are all acceptable. Our students are encouraged to think big. The Gatton Academy's intent is to fund students in summer time experiences that would otherwise be impossible.