Build your skills with a 10-week paid position at an organization in Washington, D.C.
Program Overview
Through the SPS summer internship program, physics undergraduates are placed in organizations that utilize their knowledge, experience and energy to advance meaningful assignments relevant to the organization and the advancement of physics more generally. Participating organizations assign one or more mentors from their senior staff to guide each intern’s work and overall experience. The SPS national office administers the program, hosts joint orientation and concluding sessions, and holds many group activities throughout the summer.
All internships include paid housing, a competitive stipend, support to attend a national scientific meeting in the year following the internship, and transportation to and from Washington, DC. The cohort of SPS summer interns share their varied experiences with each other, live in housing in the heart of Washington, DC, and participate in a number of engaging supplemental activities throughout the summer.
Summer 2026 Internships
2026 internships will run from June to August. Apply by January 15, 2026.
Meet the Interns
Hear from our 2024 summer interns about their projects from the summer.
Snapshots of Intern Life
2019 interns touring NASA
2022 intern Valeria Viteri-Pflucker working at NIST
2024 intern Kai Hostetter-Habib looks at Richard Feynman’s HS Calc notebook
2024 Intern Collins Kariuki Playing Soccer with the other Interns
2022 intern Matangi Melpakkam kayaking
The 2023 interns on the National Mall
The 2024 interns at the dinner cruise
The 2022 interns
2019 interns with Jack Hehn
The 2023 interns at a baseball game
