Akamai Summer Internship Program Seeking Applicants

The Akamai Summer Internship Program creates pathways for college students from Hawaiʻi into valuable summer work experience at an observatory, company or scientific/technical facility on Hawaiʻi Island and Maui.

“I wholeheartedly believe in the effectiveness of the Akamai internship in showing Hawaiʻi students the various STEM opportunities that are available in Hawaiʻi,” said Brialyn Onodera, mechanical engineer at the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope National Solar Observatory. “Through both of my internships with Akamai, I was able to establish a connection with the observatories here that has led to my current job at DKIST and has inspired me to actively mentor future Akamai students.”

“Without my internships, I think it would’ve taken much longer for me to achieve my dreams of working at an observatory, doing something I love in my home state.”

Program details:

• Akamai Internships are 8 weeks, running from Sunday, June 13 through Friday, Aug. 6, 2021.
• Interns are paid a $3,300 stipend and are provided with housing, if needed, and travel to and from their home island to an internship site.
• Internship sites are located on Hawaiʻi Island and Maui, though based on COVID-19 pandemic conditions the program may be conducted remotely. Visit www.akamaihawaii.org/covid-19-information-page/ for details and updates.
• Interns receive college credit from Akamai partner the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.
• Applications are due on March 3, 2021.

Each year more than 50 engineers and scientists from telescopes and tech companies generate ideas for intern projects that will make a real contribution to their work and will provide a challenging educational experience for the intern. The program begins with a one-week intensive preparatory course in Hilo for all Akamai interns, where they gain the skills needed to be successful in the workplace and meet other interns along with Akamai staff and mentors. Interns continue to their project sites, collaborating with their mentors to execute their projects for the duration of the program. The internship culminates at the end of summer with a public symposium, where interns present their projects.

Close mentorship from STEM career professionals is a key aspect of Akamai Internship experiences. Interns are carefully matched with mentors from a company or organization on Maui, Hawaiʻi Island or Hawaiʻi telescope partners at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Mentors help Akamai interns gain work experience and build a network to launch their career in STEM and coach them throughout the program.

Since launching in 2003, more than 400 college students have participated in the Akamai program and at least 250 alumni are now working in science and technology jobs, including more than 125 working in Hawaiʻi and contributing to the local STEM workforce. Akamai accepts college students from Hawaiʻi (80% graduated from a Hawaiʻi high school or were born in Hawaiʻi), and a key objective is to increase the participation of underrepresented and underserved populations in STEM. The Akamai Workforce Initiative alumni demographics include 37% women, 23% Native Hawaiian, and 47% underrepresented minorities.