Guest post from Rebecca L. Medina, director of the Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) Office of University Programs (OUP).
The Summer of STEM is sizzling! Today on National Intern Day, S&T is celebrating the talented students and their dedicated mentors who are making a positive impact across the Department of Homeland Security. In June, S&T welcomed the latest group of 100 students from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico to the 2024 Homeland Security Professional Opportunities for the Student Workforce to Experience Research (HS-POWER) internship program. HS-POWER is a 10-week paid internship program for undergraduate and graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as political and social science fields.
Of the 100 students sponsored by OUP, 40 were placed with S&T mentors and are currently hard at work on critical S&T research projects. The other interns were placed across multiple DHS components including U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; the DHS Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans; the Federal Emergency Management Agency; Homeland Security Investigations; the Transportation Security Administration; and the U.S. Coast Guard.
HS-POWER internships offer a distinctive bridge between academic learning and practical real-world applications. The program has unique benefits—including a stipend—as well as access and opportunities to work virtually and in-person with federal mentors from S&T, its five national labs, and DHS components on homeland security-related research projects that soon may have practical operational uses.
Paid internships offer the students more of a safety net to focus on their work and studies and enjoy a more productive and rewarding overall experience. OUP believes, and research suggests, that paid internships are essential in attracting and retaining top talent and fostering an environment where interns can thrive.
Thank you to each of our 2024 HS-POWER interns! We appreciate your hard work and dedication in support of homeland security and can’t wait to see where these experiences will lead you.
S&T is highlighting all of the interns weekly though our Summer of STEM social media campaign. Follow @DHSSciTech on all platforms to get to know them. For more information on HS-POWER, visit S&T's Office of University Programs.