Be an Intern | Saturday Academy

FAQ

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Conform to all rules and regulations of the internship site, especially health and safety practices.
Conform to all organization rules and policies for appropriate dress and behavior and proper use and etiquette of the Internet, Intranet (if applicable), email, social media, personal cell phones, cameras, and other electronic devices, as well as confidentiality practices. If you have any questions or do not know the protocols, ask your MENTOR about the policies or practices of the MENTOR’S organization.
Acknowledge that school credit, stipends, and recognition for completion of the program are awarded through successful participation in the ASE Program including following these agreements. Failure to complete the requirements of the program or the expectations of the MENTOR may result in termination of the internship, forfeit of stipend, and/or loss of school credit.
Work with the MENTOR to clarify your schedule for the duration of the internship, including the expected daily schedule, vacation or other planned absences, and start /end dates. The equivalent of eight weeks, full-time at the internship, including three days for attendance at the orientation and both conferences, is expected.
Acknowledge that transportation, food, and accommodation for the internship are the responsibility of the intern. ASE will provide transportation and food for the two conferences.
Assume responsibility for coordinating with your parents and MENTOR any off-site visits or trips as part of the internship.
Familiarize yourself with the background of the topic or field of your internship by asking your new colleagues questions and by studying assigned and supplemental reading.
8. Arrive promptly at meetings. Meet agreed upon timelines for each stage of the project, or in advance discuss with the MENTOR the need to revise the schedule. Make sure the MENTOR is informed of any problems; discuss progress with the MENTOR fully and candidly.
If required by your MENTOR, maintain a daily research or engineering log. Retain a copy of the log for (12) months following your internship.
Provide and participate in a supportive and positive environment for all involved, regardless of race, gender,sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and/or physical abilities. Inform the ASE staff in a timely fashion of any behavior that you interpret as harassment or discrimination.
Participate fully in all required ASE Program activities, including Orientation (Corvallis or Portland), Midsummer Conference and Symposium including completing and presenting an oral and poster presentation that appropriately summarizes the internship. Cooperate with Teacher Monitors, ASE and other Saturday Academy staff during these ASE Program activities.
Cooperate with your Teacher Monitor and ASE in tracking your progress, performance, and evaluating the effectiveness of the program.
Notify your Teacher Monitor immediately about any problems at the internship site. Even if the issue seems small, quickly notify your Teacher Monitor of potential issues earlier rather than later or after-the-fact.
Submit in writing to the ASE Director any requests to terminate the internship prior to completion or meeting all expectations.
Complete ASE Program evaluations during the summer, and respond to annual questionnaires for the purpose of long term ASE Program evaluation required by funding agencies.
Write thank you letters to the person(s) responsible for funding your position. Names will be provided in late summer.

Agree that your child may participate fully in the ASE Program, including the internship schedule arranged with the mentor, and the ASE Midsummer Conference and Symposium. Encourage and facilitate your child in carrying out her/his responsibilities and learning activities.
Familiarize yourself with the Student Expectations Agreement and discuss these with your child. Understand that school credit, stipends, and recognition for completion of the program are awarded through successful participation in the ASE Program. Failure to complete the requirements of the program or the expectations of the mentor may result in termination of the internship, forfeit of stipend, and/or loss of school credit.
Inform yourself of the activities occurring in the mentor’s facility and of those activities in which your child will be participating. These may include off-site visits or trips as part of the educational experience of the internship. Saturday Academy has not formally inquired into or assessed the hazards or the safety record of the host facility, and has no power, authority or control over the host facility. Except for professional qualifications, Saturday Academy has not conducted a background check on the mentor and her/his associates at the host facility. Use your judgment to decide whether your child will be able to work safely in the environment of the host facility. Mentors are told that parents should be allowed to visit the host facility at least once.
Assume responsibility for the safety and conduct of your child while s/he is traveling to and from the internship site or other program activities.
Provide and carry appropriate medical insurance coverage for your child. If you do not have medical insurance coverage, please call the ASE office, 503-200-5861 for assistance.
Consult with ASE Staff (Director, Coordinator and Teacher Monitor) in a timely manner about any concerns or difficulties that may arise from any portion of the ASE Program.
Allow Saturday Academy permission to collect information on your child’s continuing interests and participation in science, engineering, computing and mathematics for the purpose of program evaluation required by funding agencies.
Make a good faith effort to attend the ASE Symposium.

Total Minimum Student Hours in ASE Program: 318 hours

The total of 318 hours only includes the internship hours and required ASE events listed below. Student “after-hours” preparation will vary, as with any educational experience. Substantial reading is typically assigned by the mentor, and Symposium preparation typically takes students several hours.

You can use the Calendar Calculator tool to estimate your internship days/hours. Click the link and then click Edit Workbook > Edit in Excel to determine whether or not you have 296 hours available this summer in order to participate.

IMPORTANT: The Calendar Calculator is only useful in determining whether or not you can possibly participate in the program. All schedules are ultimately at the discretion of your ASE mentor. Some mentors have family vacations planned during the summer or need students in the lab during specific times during the summer for research. Most internship schedules allow for 2 weeks of vacation during the summer. Internships CANNOT start before the end of the school year. Most start dates will be either June 18th or June 25th. Internships MUST be completed by August 24th. Students must complete 296 internship hours. ASE also prefers that students save at least 2 extra make-up days for possible illness at the end of the summer.

The following dates are not available for internship hours:

July 4th - Most organizations are closed on this day
July 12th - Interns are required to attend the Midsummer Conference on this day
August 17th - Interns are required to attend Symposium on this day

Yes! The ASE Program provides valuable experiences throughout the summer. See the following events and requirements:

Events

1. Orientation Corvallis and Portland
Students are given a professional skills training to get them ready for their ASE internship experience.

2. Midsummer Conference (July 12, 2018)
This conference includes: (a) career lectures and seminars led by scientists, engineers and other technical professionals; (b) hands-on workshops in various technical areas such as DNA electrophoresis, measuring air-pollution, and computer modeling; and (c) a workshop on making professional scientific presentations.

3. ASE Symposium (August 17, 2018)
Interns present their summer projects to each other and other guests. At this conference: a) Each student gives a 15-minute oral presentation presided over by professional scientists or engineers; and b) each student prepares a scientific poster for a 1 hour scientific poster session. When students are not presenting their own projects, they attend sessions where the experiences of other students are described. (Students typically spend several hours preparing for the Symposium.)

Requirements

1. Internship Evaluation with Teacher Monitor: Students complete an evaluation of their experience with the teacher monitor twice during the summer.

2. Internship Summary: Interns write a 500 word internship summary at the end of their internship summarizing their project and what they learned during the summer. (This summary is quite helpful in developing Symposium presentations.)

3. Thank You Letters: The student also writes formal thank-you letters to people who made their internship possible. The students are given training on writing thank-you letters as many of the letters go to high-level professionals in the academic, business, and governmental sectors.

To be eligible to apply students must:

Have not been an ASE intern before. A student may only have one ASE internship during their high school career. This is to ensure that more students are able to participate in the ASE program.
Be a rising 10th, 11th, or 12th grader (or equivalent).
Be interested in pursuing a career in math and science, motivated to learn, and prepared to participate in a professional environment.
Live near our internship locations (usually in the Portland-Metro area, and the Albany/Corvallis/Eugene areas) OR have adult family or friends that you can live with during the summer near our internship locations. (ASE does not provide housing for students and does not allow students to live on their own.) If you apply for positions that are greater than 50 miles from your home address or local address provided on your online application, ASE will remove your application from those positions.
Have reliable transportation to and from our internship locations. (Public transportation is fine.) ASE does not provide transportation for students.
Have proof of health insurance.

Note: For positions with age requirements, applicants must be the minimum age by May 15th.

& More

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ASE Staff: ASE team members provide support throughout the summer to students. They…

Recruit students from around the region
Administer orientation and training to all participants
Arrange stipend payments and liability insurance
Provide support throughout the internship with on-call staff
Ensure state and federal compliance

Teacher Monitors: Our program hires teachers in Oregon and Washington to monitor the internships and act as a resource for students and mentors. They…

Assist with orientations and events
Document internships on-site
Serve as communications liaison, problem-solver and facilitator for mentor, intern and ASE staff

Cover Letter Writing and Interview Skills Workshops

ASE offers free Cover Letter Writing and Interview Skills workshops to all students who start their ASE application. Workshops are NOT mandatory for ASE applicants, however, students that have attended the workshops would recommend them to other students.

IMPORTANT: Review our ASE Application Guide carefully for useful tips and a successful application experience.

Join our mailing list to be notified about important details of the 2018 process.

Get started on your application. Start by browsing current internships. To apply, add internships to your locker - from here you can start your application and create an ASE Internship account. This will allow you to save your progress.

Please contact ASE Staff ONLY with questions. DO NOT contact ASE mentors. Contact ASE staff here. Contacting the mentors may disqualify your current application and future applications to the ASE program.

Application deadline for 2018 internships: Friday, March 9th, 2018.

If you have questions or experience technical difficulties during the application process, please contact us by phone (503-200-5861) or email ase@saturdayacademy.org.

Specific organizations have shared information about required steps to complete before starting an internship. Interns should be prepared to do the following background work if their internship will take place at the sites listed below.

(Please note: this list is not inclusive of all organizations with special registration processes and may change from year to year.)

Bonneville Power: BPA Interns will be required to go through a registration process at BPA prior to the start of the internship. Be aware this process may take up to 6 weeks. Interns will need to have the following original, government-issued documents in order to start the security process:

• Drivers License (permit is acceptable), OR

• Passport

AND

• Social Security Card, OR

• Original Birth Certificate (state issued, not issued by the hospital) - must have state stamp of authenticity

Interns will be required to take a security/background check. Interns will be paid a wage directly instead of receiving a stipend, and will need to complete related paperwork.

Intel

Interns will be required to go through a registration process at Intel prior to the start of the internship. Be aware that this process may take several weeks. ASE will send a packet to sign and return to ASE. Interns will need to provide a government-issued photo ID at the time of registration with Intel.

Lumencor

Interns will be paid a wage directly instead of receiving a stipend, and will need to complete related paperwork.

OHSU

OHSU requires a background check, testing, and other paperwork to be completed. Follow this link: http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/research/about/office-of-visitors-and-volunteers/become/index.cfm for more information. Medical clearance may also be required. If required, interns will need to provide personal health records. If you do not have up to date immunizations or cannot find documentation, you may receive medical services by OHSU at no cost to you.

Portland VA Medical Center

The intern will need to complete several training modules and fill out an application with multiple components at least 4 weeks prior to starting the internship. The intern will be required to take a security/background check. Medical clearance may be required.

Rockwell Collins

Interns will be paid a wage directly instead of receiving a stipend, and will need to complete related paperwork.