The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program offers stipend-paid internship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate-level university students pursuing STEM degrees, as well as upper-level high school students.

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The selected interns gain valuable hands-on experiences working with full-time AFRL scientists and engineers on cutting-edge research and technology and are able to contribute to unique, research-based projects.

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At AFRL New Mexico, the AFRL Scholars Program offers internship opportunities in research-based projects for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as professional educators. Join the team and spend your internship researching the exciting technologies in Directed Energy and Space Vehicles Directorates, and the United States Space Force (USSF). The USSF is the newest branch of the Armed Forces, established in December 2019. Interns gain valuable hands-on learning experience under the mentorship of full-time AFRL scientists and engineers, and develop relationships with other scholars that will last a lifetime!

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The Program at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM, offers various projects in STEM fields specific to each technical directorate:

- Directed Energy projects support research areas such as high energy lasers, high power microwaves, laser plasma experiments/diagnostics, optics, and many more!

- Space Vehicles projects support research areas such as aerospace technologies, cold atom research, satellite image and signal analysis, space weather modeling, and many more!

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AFRL Scholar Internships and Research Assistant positions are offered at this site. AFRL Scholar internships are typically 10–12 weeks, with a minimum requirement of 8 weeks.

• US Citizen– Upper-level high school students– Must be 16 years of age or older with valid driver's license and reliable transportation– Must be available to work full-time (40 hours per week) for summer internship positions– Must pass a background check. Potentially resulting in a Secret Security Clearance or higher.
• A grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is highly encouraged for all applicants. Note: A grade point average of less than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale will not disqualify applicants.
• Must be enrolled or accepted at an educational institution taking at least half-time academic course load leading to a degree or certificate for semester immediately preceding internship session. Note: This does not apply to professional educators.
• Must be in good academic standing
• Must be willing to temporarily relocate to physical work location
• Must be able to take personal responsibility for arranging transportation to and from worksite each day. Note: Scholars should not rely on transportation from anyone who does not already have base access. Program administration will not be responsible for making additional arrangements on a scholar’s behalf to provide suitable transportation.