Akamai Internship Program now accepting applications for 2026 cohort
The Akamai Internship Program — led by the Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators at University of California Observatories in partnership with University of Hawaiʻi — is now accepting applications for its 2026 cohort.
Now one of the state’s leading workforce development programs, the Akamai Workforce Initiative — now in its 22nd year — expands opportunities for Hawaiʻi college students to gain hands-on experience in science, engineering and technology careers.
“Since 2003, I’ve seen how transformative it is when students from Hawaiʻi are invited into environments where their ideas matter,” said Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators Director Lisa Hunter in an announcement for the 2026 scholarship application period.
The Akamai Internship Program supported 33 students as part of its 2025 cohort, each matched with a Hawaiʻi-based observatory — including 15 at observatories atop Mauna Kea on the Big Island — for an intensive summer internship.
Akamai helps students build clear pathways into high-quality science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers through meaningful project work, one-on-one mentorship, communication skill-building and a final technical presentation.
Building those career pathways is a commitment demonstrated by program alumni who return to mentor students, illustrating how participants become the next generation of leaders and mentors within Hawaiʻi.
Carina McCartney of Oʻahu is an aerospace engineering major at University of Colorado Boulder. McCartney was a member of the 2025 cohort of the Akamai Scholarship Program and interned at the International Gemini Observatory facility atop Mauna Kea on the Big Island. (Photo Courtesy: Akamai Scholarship Program)- Carina McCartney worked with the International Gemini Observatory as a member of the 2025 cohort of the Akamai Scholarship Program, during which she created 3-D models of the telescope enclosure and mount for use by a real-time visualization tool. (Image Courtesy: Akamai Scholarship Program)
- Jacy Hanada graduated from Maui High School and went on to pursue mechanical engineering at University of Portland in Oregon. She was a member of the 2025 cohort of the Akamai Scholarship Program and returned to Maui this past summer to work with the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on Haleakalā. (Photo Courtesy: Akamai Scholarship Program)
- Jacy Hanada worked as a 2025 Akamai Scholar to measure vibrations with an accelerometer, requiring extensive time at the Haleakalā summit gathering data on the chillers that are critical to preventing the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope from overheating because of the sun’s intense heat. (Image Courtesy: Akamai Scholarship Program)
“The Akamai Internship Program opens doors that many students don’t realize are within reach, and each new cohort reminds us how much potential exists when we invest in local talent that strengthens our technical community and contributes to innovation across our observatories and high-tech employers,” Hunter said.
The application period for the 2026 cohort closes Jan. 23, 2026.
Eligible applicants must either study in Hawaiʻi or be from Hawaiʻi, underscoring Akamai’s commitment to building a locally rooted science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce.
Visit the Akamai Workforce Initiative website to apply and find additional information.
The Akamai Internship Program is funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the National Science Foundation and University of California Observatories.
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