Minority-Serving
Institution Partnership
Program

Partnering for our nation’s security

Interns gain hands-on experience in national security.

The Minority Serving Institution Partnership Program - National Nuclear Security Administration (MSIPP-NNSA) is a research-based experience for students who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM.

MSIPP-NNSA is designed to build a sustainable pipeline between the U.S. Department of Energy facilities and national laboratories and minority-serving institutions in STEM disciplines, and bring a heightened awareness of NNSA plants and laboratories to institutions with a common interest in STEM research fields. To learn more, visit the NNSA’s MSIPP website.

About Our Interns

This program seeks students who have a passion for solving complex problems in national security, energy, and science. MSIPP-NNSA interns work side-by-side with a scientist in a specific research area that aligns with NNSA’s mission by applying cutting-edge research to make our nation safer and stronger. Such research areas include:

Biology
Computational science
Cybersecurity
High-energy physics
Mass spectrometry
Radiation detection
Radiochemistry

MSIPP-NNSA interns are assigned a PNNL project advisor who guides their work on projects supporting a wide range of NNSA mission areas and capabilities. Interns will deliver a poster presentation on their work and internship experience as part of the end-of-summer internship symposium sponsored by the Office of STEM Education.

Eligibility

Candidates must be degree-seeking students enrolled in a STEM undergraduate program at an accredited college or university. Candidates must be taking at least six credit hours and have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Candidates must have the ability to obtain a future security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship.

Timeline

MSIPP-NNSA internship opportunities are posted on the PNNL Careers website. Opportunities are typically posted in February/March for interns that will begin assignments in June. MSIPP interns come to PNNL fully funded by NNSA for a period of 8-12 weeks. Depending on the work scope and mentor, the internship can be extended.

Application

A complete application package requires the three listed items below, combined into a PDF and uploaded to the job posting on the PNNL Careers website:

Resumé or CV
Current unofficial transcript; cumulative GPA must be listed
300-word essay describing your educational goals; how the student's specific interests/experience align with the NNSA mission and to one of PNNL’s core capabilities listed below; and how the student would contribute to the diversity of our programs.

PNNL Core Capabilities: