Summer 2026 STEM Internship Application

The Title III “STEM External Learning Project” is designed as a pilot program to establish a structured, scalable model that connects students to real-world STEM career pathways through external learning experiences, industry engagement, and workforce readiness training.

Through intentional partnerships, field-based learning, and targeted skill development, this pilot will introduce students to STEM careers while building a sustainable pipeline for internships and employment opportunities.

Requirements:
1. Be a San Jacinto student in a STEM program (for full list of STEM programs please follow this link: https://www.sanjac.edu/programs/areas-of-study/stem/ )
2. Be in good academic standing with San Jacinto College
3. Be willing to commit to soft skills training throughout the program (1 semester)
4. Must be a resident of the United States
5. Interviews will be required
6. Must attach resume

Internship Descriptions:
Horticulture Intern ($3,000 stipend) : Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens is seeking horticulture interns. The Horticulture Internship provides learning experiences that extend beyond the classroom and into the garden and greenhouses. The Horticulture interns assist with garden maintenance, plant care, plant propagation, and other specified projects at Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens.

Core Responsibilities
With direction from a Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens horticulturist, the Horticulture Intern will:
• maintain a collection of plants assigned by supervising horticulturist;
• maintain Mercer’s seed bank and a collection of plants assigned by supervisor;
• participate in regular maintenance of newly planted and established specimens;
• identify garden pests and plant diseases and determine a treatment plan, if necessary;
• research proper propagation and planting procedures for various plant species;
• implement research findings to perform vegetative propagation and seed processing;
• assist in developing reports detailing projects assigned, successes achieved, obstacles and how they were overcome, new insights, and other ideas related to the internship;
• perform other duties as assigned.

Physical Demands
• The intern is regularly required to stand, walk, use hands and fingers to handle, feel and reach with hands and arms; frequently required to sit, climb, or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear and taste or smell.
• The intern may be required to lift and/or move up to 40 pounds;
• Specific vision abilities required by this internship includes close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.
• The intern works in outside weather conditions and is periodically exposed to heat, humidity, rain, and dust.
• The noise level in the work environment is normally moderate.
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an intern to successfully perform the functions of the internship. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

Other Requirements
• Internship applicant must be at least 18 years old.
• Intern must enjoy working outdoors up to 80% of the time as well as in an office setting.
• Internship Availability: No less than 12 hours but up to 40 hours per week, worked primarily Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. with a 30-minute lunch and regular breaks; some weekends may be required.

Armand Bayou Nature Center Intern ($3,000 stipend): Stewardship Interns will perform a range of duties at the Nature Center as needed; however, the position will primarily assist with the implementation of the ABNC Natural Resource Management Plan.
Duties/Responsibilities:
• habitat restoration, invasive species control through herbicide application, prescribed fire, native plant propagation, planting, and wildlife management, as well as management of prescribed grazing
• assisting with volunteer work groups in support of the above activities
• some responsibilities for the care of the living exhibits at ABNC: the collection includes reptiles (snakes, frogs, turtles, and alligators), fish, birds, and bison
• occasional office duties such as record keeping and assistance with grant proposals or reports
• may additionally assist with educational activities and classes as needed
• may include classroom preparation, material preparation, leading classes, hikes, and other educational activities as needed
• may also be trained and called upon to assist with visitor and member services, special events, and other duties as needed
Qualifications:
• High school diploma required
• Experience operating a chainsaw, experience driving a tractor, and being handy with tools is highly desired, but not required
• Must also have a love for nature, a positive attitude, an inclusive mindset, and a willingness to be flexible in a quickly changing environment as emergent needs arise.
Summer Robotics 6-week Internship ($3,000 stipend): June 15, 2026 – July 24, 2026; Monday – Friday 8:30 – 5:30
In the Robotics Internship there will be times that the schedule would need to adjust to fit the needs of summer camp and other activities. Flexibility is required and this will be discussed during interviews.
Job Description and Qualifications
If you are curious about robotics and other STEM technologies and enjoy tinkering, problem-solving, and learning how things work, this position is for you. The robotics internship seeks to provide community, training, inspiration and opportunities for undergraduate students majoring in STEM. You will learn the basics of coding, robot design, and robot building, plus develop project management and leadership skills. The capstone of this internship is facilitating a 4-day robotics camp for elementary/middle school students.

Position:
6-Week Robotics Internship
Responsibilities:
• Maintain a clean, safe, and organized work/lab environment
• Learn to operate a variety of robotics and STEM equipment
• Communicate effectively with team members and program leaders
• Perform other duties as needed to support internship

Summer Research position ($1,500 stipend): Weeks 1-2(Last week of 5A):
• Students conduct literature review with faculty over the topics suggested to introduce them to the research that has already been conducted in that area.
o Overview of how to approach scientific articles
o Overview of library resources
o Overview of how we might leverage google and even AI in approaching scientific articles
o Overview of soft skills for poster presentation and poster design
• Student(s) would also give a presentation summarizing their findings, questions they found important and why those questions are important, what experiments could be or should be rerun, and what new experiments might we run in the future and why.
Weeks 2-6: Students work with faculty on
• Learning analysis techniques
• Designing the project experiments
• Obtaining samples
• Testing samples
• Analyzing data
• Comparing findings to those in their literature review.