Open Date: 12/15/2021

QuarkNet Summer Research Program

Fermilab is America’s premier laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. We support discovery science experiments in Illinois and South Dakota and at locations around the world, including Canada, mountaintops in Arizona and Chile, and the South Pole.

We are strategic risk-takers, innovators, and collaborators. We are engineers, scientists, technicians, administrative professionals. We are 1,800 employees advancing knowledge for the benefit of humankind. Fermilab has been at the forefront of particle physics for more than 50 years. We build world-leading accelerators and detectors to conduct some of the most advanced particle physics experiments possible. We collect and analyze the data from those experiments with some of the most powerful computers in the world. We conduct this research on a 6,800-acre prairie, 35 miles outside Chicago, a treasure that has been designated a National Environmental Research Park.

Program Webpage: QuarkNet Summer Research Program

Program Dates: June 20 – August 5, 2022

Eligibility:

• High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors when applying. Juniors with experience programming computers or working with mechanical or electrical systems are encouraged to apply
• U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status
• Evidence of identity and eligibility to work in the U.S
• Work authorization if under 16 years of age. This refers to a work authorization for minors (sometimes called a “minor work permit”) that students under 16 must get through their school district. Your high school guidance counselors should have more information.
• Proof of medical insurance
• Applicants are asked to commit to attending the entire six-week internship period. Your availability may affect your acceptance into the program. Although, we understand that school or family commitments can happen, missing any portion of the internship program is highly discouraged.

Application Requirements: DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION UNLESS YOU HAVE COMPLETED ALL FOUR REQUIREMENTS.

• Online application
• Application questionnaire
• Short answer questions*: Please write short (< 200-word) responses to the following questions:
  • What do you hope to get out of this internship experience?
  • What would the ideal project teach you?
  • What “big questions” in science are you most excited about?
  • Describe a time you worked independently on a project.
  • How do you handle time management when you have multiple priorities?
• One letter of recommendation ((reference letters are submitted directly to Fermilab by the writers via our application system). Please only submit one reference name and email address.

• Title of your file should start with "QuarkNet_ questions"
• Upload in "ESSAY" field in your application.

Internship Details:

• Application Period: December 15, 2021 – February 1, 2022
• Program Dates: June 20 – August 5, 2022
• Acceptance Notification: March 2022
• Wage: $15 hourly
• This position will be fully remote/virtual. Students will not physically come to the Fermilab site.

Deliverables:

• Entrance and exit surveys
• Abstract
• Oral presentation

Further program information at http://internships.fnal.gov/quarknet-summer-research-program/

All FRA employees are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19, unless the employee is legally entitled to an accommodation based on a medical condition/disability or a sincerely held religious belief.