About the Internship Site

The College of Engineering’s JESSE Internship Program invites 3 qualified high school juniors (current juniors going into their senior year) from Project Hokualani-CLD TEAMS to explore this unique opportunity to experience a higher level of academics at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa. Students will engage in hands-on engineering projects and/or assist college undergraduates, researchers, and professors with their research in state-of-the-art facilities. A faculty mentor and/or graduate student will be assigned to each intern to facilitate various research tasks based on their engineering interest within the designated laboratory.

Objectives and Goals:

• Promote UH Mānoa’s College of Engineering to promising prospective students interested in STEM pathways
• Support the belief that students become more involved when they actively participate in research and hands-on projects.
• Support the successful transition from high school to college by providing opportunities to engage with faculty and students in a college setting. As such, priority will be given to students with a real interest in attending the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa’s College of Engineering and who express a real interest in the field.

Meet Our Internship Mentor

Coming Soon!

Internship duties and responsibilities

This internship program is rigorous and competitive, and students who are selected must be 100% committed. This means that students must ensure any additional summer plans (ex. summer school, travel plans) do not conflict with internship dates. There will be no make-up dates. This is especially important the last week of the program as students are working together to create their presentations to showcase to families and guests at the program’s conclusion. Any student who is selected and does not fulfill the program requirements to complete lab hours and attend scheduled activities will be dismissed from the program so that a student from the waiting list may be given the opportunity to participate.

Students are expected to be on time, complete an established number of internship lab hours (varies per lab), complete various tasks in research laboratories, complete assignments and participate in sponsored activities. Interns will be expected to meet all deadlines, turn in all required documents, and keep a daily log of their lab activities.

Application Procedure

• Applicants will need to complete two separate applications:
  • The Hōkūlani-CLDTEAMS application here:
  • The JESSE application form here by Friday, February 21st at 11:59pm HST.  https://go.hawaii.edu/btD
• The $400 fee is waived for Hōkūlani-CLD TEAMS students. Please note that you must select Project Hōkūlani in the application form to be eligible for the waiver. 
• There are only 3 spots available for this internship positions

2025 Internship Schedule:

• Summer 2025:
  • The internship will run from JUNE 2 to JULY 10, 2025, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Monday through Friday. In addition to their lab hours, students will also participate in outside activities, such as industry site visits, engineering and professional workshops, talk story sessions with professionals, and opportunities to connect with other students. At the end of the internship, students will take part in an end-of-program reception to showcase what they have learned and experienced, presenting to faculty and student mentors, counselors, principals, parents, and fellow interns.
• Internship wrap-up (Virtual): July 11th, 9am – 12:00pm

*Please be aware that this internship is a longer commitment. Students are required to complete the entire program running from June 2 to July 10, 2025, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Monday through Friday. 

Internship Meeting Location: TBD