Launch Your Future in STEM
The Penn Engineering High School Internship Program is a seven-week immersive research experience in which high school students, primarily rising seniors, engage in hands-on research projects under the mentorship of Ph.D. students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty principal investigators. Interns are embedded in university laboratory environments, gaining meaningful exposure to academic research as they prepare to apply to institutions of higher education and explore STEM fields that spark their curiosity and aspirations.
Program Details
Why Apply?
- Strengthen your college applications
- Experience the culture of academic research
- Explore potential STEM career pathways
- Join a community of motivated student scholars
Eligibility
- Open to all high school students
- Students from Philadelphia and the greater Philadelphia area will receive preference
- We welcome applications from students in any U.S. state
- Must be available for the full duration of the program
You'll Get To
- Conduct hands-on research in a university lab
- Work closely with a graduate student mentor
- Learn how research projects are designed, tested, and presented
- Develop technical, analytical, and professional skills
- Gain exposure to college-level STEM environment
- Earn a stipend in recognition of your contributions
Key Dates
Application Opens:
November 30, 2026
Application Closes:
January 31, 2027
Decision Notification:
March 1, 2027
Program Dates:
June 21, 2027 – August 6, 2027
Student Testimonials
Nathaniel Gauthier
High School Intern, George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science
Justin Liu
High School Intern, Penn Engineering Student
Tamara Brockington
High School Intern & Author of The Crystals Are All Around Us, Abington Friends School
| Mentor Names | Principal Investigator(s) | Lab / Department |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Gregory Parisi | Dr. Samantha Mcbride | Mcbride Lab |
| Lauren Brown | Dr. Christopher Madl | Madl Biomaterials Lab |
| Ahn Nguyen | Dr. Michelle J. Johnson | Rehabilitation Robotics Lab |
| Emma Jardine | Dr. Samantha Mcbride | Mcbride Lab |
| Dr. Derek Ho | Dr. Samantha Mcbride | Mcbride Lab |
| Uday Kiran Reddy Tadipatri | Dr. René Vidal | Vidal Lab |
| Dr. Shenbagaraj Kannapiran | Dr. Camillo “CJ” Taylor | GRASP Lab |
| Patience Yeboah | Dr. Michelle J. Johnson | Rehabilitation Robotics Lab |
| Reem Azar | Dr. Michelle J. Johnson | Rehabilitation Robotics Lab |
| Zahra Khodakarami | Dr. Paul Yushkevich | Penn Image Computing and Science Lab |
| Alireza Shirzad | Dr. Pratyush Mishra | Schlein Center for Cybersecurity |
| Mohammad Mehdi Dehgani | Dr. Firooz Aflatouni | Electronic Photonic Microsystems Lab |
| Dr. Marquise Bell | Dr. Kevin Turner | Turner Research Group |
| Anh Nguyen | Dr. Michelle Johnson | Rehabilitation Robotics Lab |
| Daniel Feshbach | Dr. Cynthia Sung | Sung Robotics Lab |
| Stephen Ching | Dr. Ottoman Tertuliano | Tertuliano Lab |
| Dr. Li Jiang | Dr. Sherry Gao | Gao Lab |
| Lameck Beni | Dr. David Issadore | Issadore Lab |
| Mentor Names | Principal Investigator(s) | Lab / Department |
|---|---|---|
| Chinmayee Athalye | Dr. Paul Yushkevich | Penn Image Computing and Science Lab |
| Lauren Brown | Dr. Christopher Madl | Madl Biomaterials Laboratory |
| Yuyan Ge | Dr. René Vidal | Vidal Lab, Machine Learning |
| Kubarah Ghias | Dr. Kelly C. Allison | Center for Weight and Eating Disorders |
| Devin Golla | Dr. Xue Sherry Gao | Gao Lab |
| Zixian Guo | Dr. Vivek Shenoy | Multiscale Mechanobiology and Biomaterials Laboratory |
| Jason Hughes | Dr. Camillo “CJ” Taylor | GRASP Lab |
| Haydn Jones | Dr. Jacob Gardner | Gardner Lab |
| Mansi Kumar | Dr. Marie Guerraty | Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Radiology |
| Dr. Pulkit Khandelwal | Dr. Paul Yushkevich | Penn Image Computing and Science Lab |
| Xueying Lyu | Dr. Dave Wolk & Dr. Sandhitsu Das | Penn Memory Center |
| Mohammad Mehdi Dehgani | Dr. Firooz Aflatouni | Electronic Photonic Microsystems Lab |
| Anish Mondal | Dr. Firooz Aflatouni | Electronic Photonic Microsystems Lab |
| Anh Nguyen | Dr. Michelle Johnson | Rehabilitation Robotics Lab |
| Erica Waters | Dr. Michelle Johnson | Rehabilitation Robotics Lab |
Program Staff
Chanda Jefferson
Director of Community Engagement and Outreach
Dominique Thomas
Program Manager of Community Engagement and Outreach
Luyando Kwenda
Graduate STEM Coordinator
Kayan Mohammed
Graduate STEM Coordinator