Jessica MacNeil

Interning for the government
July 9, 2008

When looking for an internship, the experience you’ll get is the most important factor, but the benefits, support and career options it offers are important too.

Considering those factors, some of the better opportunities for internships are with the government. What programs like SMART (Science, Mathematics, & Research for Transformation) and WISE (Washington Internships for Students in Engineering) offer students make them logical options, as their names suggest.

The SMART program offers scholarships and internships to undergraduate, masters and doctoral students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Eligible students who are over 18, US citizens, and have a GPA above 3.0, can apply to the program and will be reviewed by a panel of experts that will identify and rank the best candidates for various defense and national security labs to choose from.

Those selected to be SMART scholars are provided full tuition and education fees for a university of their choice, health insurance, paid summer internships including travel expenses, a stipend of $22,000 to $39,000 as “term employees” of the Department of Defense, and employment placement after graduation.

When students accept the SMART scholarship, they agree to work at a government defense lab after graduation, for the same amount of time they benefited from the award. Sponsored by the Department of Defense, SMART was designed to encourage technological education and government careers to provide a new generation of researchers in US defense labs.

The WISE program involves engineering students in government in a different way.

A group of students entering their final year of undergraduate study are selected to spend ten weeks in Washington, DC, learning how engineers influence public policy. Students learn how officials make decisions on technological issues and see how engineers are involved in the legislative and regulatory policy decisions.

While in the program, students meet with congressional committees, executive office departments, and corporate government affairs offices. They also have the opportunity to work with leaders in industry and non-governmental organizations.

Under the guidance of a Faculty-Member-in-Residence, students will research and present papers on an engineering issue of public policy. Each year, the research papers are collected and published online in the WISE Journal of Engineering and Public Policy. 

The program offers the students a $2,100 stipend, housing at George Washington University, and fare cards for the Washington Metro system.

Backed by several professional engineering societies, WISE aims to teach future engineers about the collaboration between technology and government policy.

In an effort to create interest and keep technological positions filled in the government, these programs provide educational and financial benefits that make these internships very valuable to students interested in these fields.

Posted by Jessica MacNeil on July 9, 2008 | Comments (0)