SIRI is aimed at giving students initial exposure to scientific and technical work, and giving scientists access to student helpers and an enhanced intellectual environment. This is an unpaid internship.
Faculty Sponsor Responsibilities
The program requires a Lead Faculty Sponsor at the college to help advertise the opportunity, identify appropriate candidate students, and assist in explaining the program opportunities to students, and work with the JPL Education Office in the selection process. One or more faculty sponsors would provide academic oversight of individual students' progress as needed for independent study credit.
Student candidate applications consist of short resumes -- a page or less -- that include:
A paragraph or two describing interests and broader career goals,
A list of skills and experience(s): (math, computer science, physical science, writing, etc.),
A sentence or two about any specific projects that reflect their best efforts to date, such as science projects, web sites, school papers, or publications.
While at JPL, the students will have the status of volunteers and will sign the Memorandum of Understanding for Volunteer Participation, which applies to all students who are at JPL as trainees or who may be receiving academic credit for their activities. Students must be US Citizens or have a valid Green Card (Permanent Resident)
Credit: Faculty Sponsors shall communicate to JPL the completion criteria for credit-bearing experiences, where applicable, so that JPL mentors may verify these requirements (e.g., number of hours, lab reports, lab books).
The SIRI program is a selective and competitive program; JPL has no commitment or obligation to place students who submit a resume for the program. If students wish to continue at JPL beyond one academic semester or quarter, and their JPL sponsor is also interested, it would be under other auspices, such as NASA Scholarships or work-study programs.
Students must comply with standard JPL rules about on-site participation, and attend a student orientation for safety training, computer security, and related issues. JPL may terminate the internship for cause at the discretion of the mentor or the Education Office.
JPL Responsibilities
JPL will provide facilities at JPL, and mentoring. Students are expected to commit about 10 - 15 hours/week to the activity.
JPL sponsors provide short project descriptions -- a page or less -- that include:
A paragraph or two describing the opportunity and its scientific context,
A list of the minimum skill set required, and mention of any skills or activities the student could learn as part of the job,
References, including web sites and relevant outreach materials.
Faculty Sponsor Responsibilities
