Internships

Get Hands-on Experience for a STEM-related Career

Are you a kamaʻāina student with an interest in aerospace and space exploration? We offer paid and credit-based internship opportunities to help you open new academic and career doors and make connections in the space community. Interns select a project within one of two tracks and work to complete specific project goals, both individually and in teams. Students are also invited to propose their own project ideas. Many of our former interns have gone on to land internships and employment at major tech companies and space organizations like NASA.

Eligibility Requirements:

Majoring in a STEM-related field of study
Originally from Hawaiʻi or attending a University of Hawaiʻi school
3.5 GPA or higher

Projects

Planetary Robotics

Our robotics track offers hands-on learning with our planetary rover Helelani. Students develop the rover's systems and instruments while honing skills in coding, electronics, and engineering. Choose an assigned project or get creative and propose your own.

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Materials Science

Our materials science track will give you experience in planetary geology and volcanic basalt research for additive manufacturing. Using locally sourced basalt, you will learn how to create sustainable construction products for Earth and space.

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Apply for an Internship

Meet Former Interns

Since 2013, we have employed more than 50 undergraduate students based in Hawaiʻi. Many of them have gone to work at companies like NASA, Google, and Taos. Meet some of the outstanding alumni whose experiences at PISCES have helped them further their education and career paths in aerospace.

Kyla Edison

Kyla is a UH Hilo alumna and Kauaʻi native who worked on a number of PISCES projects over the course of three years. As an intern, she learned how to conduct field surveys, analyze the geological makeup of other planets, and develop techniques for basalt sintering. Her dedication and hard work earned her a full-time position as our resident geology and materials science technician. In 2021, Kyla left Hawaiʻi to pursue a doctorate at the Colorado School of Mines.

Aaron Roth

Aaron is a Waiākea High School graduate who studied computer science at Arizona State University. During his internship, he successfully created a stereoscopic (3D) imaging system for the Helelani rover. After interning as an undergraduate at Jim Bell’s rover imaging lab at ASU and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he landed a position on one of the Mars rover teams at JPL.

Lily Leyva

Lily Leyva is a Keaʻau High School graduate who attended our STARS program and was inspired to pursue a career in aerospace engineering. As a materials science intern, she created a new planetary building block design for basalt sintering. She also programmed our Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Heʻe Manu, for a County of Hawaiʻi R&D project. Lily is now studying Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder.