Science & Engineering Apprenticeship Program

The Science & Engineering Apprenticeship Program is a competitive program for graduating high school seniors who plan to attend college in the Fall semester following graduation. The program provides the selected students with exposure to laboratory research and development, and also provides the young students with an idea of what scientists and engineers do in their chosen area of work. Local area high schools are notified of the program, and students who have an interest in engineering, computer science, physics, and math are invited to apply. U.S. citizenship is required.

Students comment about their apprenticeship experience at Applied Research Laboratories.

If you would like to apply for the 2008 ARL Science & Engineering Apprenticeship Program, please read the announcement that was distributed to local high schools, and complete the apprenticeship application, along with the UT student application and ARL skills inventory form.

Please mail these forms, along with a copy of your high school transcript and Scholastic Aptitude Test scores (if the SAT has been taken), to:

ARL Science & Engineering Apprenticeship Program
HR Services Office
Applied Research Laboratories, The University of Texas at Austin
P.O. Box 8029
Austin, Texas 78713-8029

The deadline for submitting your application for the Summer 2008 apprenticeship program is March 28, 2008.
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History of the program

This summer program began as a part of the ongoing Department of Defense Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program for High School Students. It provides recent high school graduates with hands-on experience in a stimulating research environment. A long-term goal of the program is to encourage students to pursue careers in the science and engineering disciplines, particularly in areas related to the needs of the U.S. Department of Defense. The program started the summer of 1982 with nine students from five local high schools. A total of 400 students have completed the program through August 2007. Most of these students have gone on to major in science or engineering in colleges throughout the United States.

In 1991, placement of a small group of students at other University of Texas research laboratories began. Through the years, students have been placed at the Institute for Advanced Technology (IAT), the Institute for Geophysics (UTIG), the Center for Electromechanics (CEM), and the Texas Archaeological Research Laboratory (TARL). The program is funded by the Independent Research and Development Program at ARL:UT and by internal funds at other laboratories.

Selecting students

Students are selected on the basis of their academic records, Scholastic Aptitude Test results, and written applications. At ARL:UT, each student is assigned to a research project to be performed under the supervision of a research scientist or engineer.
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Poster session presentations summarize student projects

At the end of the apprenticeship, all the students prepare poster session presentations and short technical papers summarizing their project results. These written summaries are combined into a laboratory report which is distributed to the Office of Naval Research, The Applied Physics Laboratory at The University of Washington, the Applied Research Laboratory at The Pennsylvania State University, the Marine Physical Laboratory at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California, the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, and the Vice President for Research at The University of Texas at Austin. The summaries are edited only lightly in order to preserve the style and freshness of the students. The 2007,2006, 2005, and 2004 poster session winners and their abstracts. Information and requirements for the poster presentation and project report (pdf)

Program benefits students & The University

The intelligence, energy, and lively curiosity of these students is invigorating to the laboratory staff. The reports are informative and, most of all, encouraging, with respect to the preparation of American youth for careers in science and engineering. Some of the research results may be of archival journal quality; these will be edited, appropriately rewritten, and submitted accordingly.

Although the participating laboratories value this program for the opportunity to introduce high school students to the realm of scientific and engineering research, the apprenticeships have been rewarding in other ways as well. In the past, many of the apprentices have returned to our laboratories in student and research positions.

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AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER.

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