How do I get an internship in a field as specific as bioinformatics in 10th grade. I am good at programming and biology and want to learn more, but I am not sure where to even start for an internship. Is the best way to just email professors at various universities about any opportunities they know of and then wait for a response?
Also is it unrealistic to look for an internship in bioinformatics considering my young age and lack of experience? Should I ask for something more general, like biology or software engineering?
This is a great field. My husband is a bioinformaticist and loves his job. It’s very hard to find qualified workers who have software and biology knowledge. Good luck to you! Where are you located?
@MomofThree95 Hello! I live near Boston, and I know that it is a hotspot for bioinformatics (especially the nearby town of Cambridge). Do you know any companies that may be interested in allowing me to intern?
This doesn’t answer your question because it requires applicants to be in 11th grade, but you should definitely look into the Summer Student Program at the Jackson Laboratory in Maine (they also have a branch in Connecticut):
It’s a highly competitive/prestigious, fully funded (plus a $4750 stipend) 10 week program, and there is a strong research emphasis on computational biology and bioinformatics.
The Center for Computational Biology at Johns Hopkins has a funded summer internship program, primarily for college students, but with a small number of spots for advanced high school students. I doubt they would consider a 10th grader, but if your skills are unusually strong you might want to look into it.
The National Human Genome Institute at the NIH has a summer internship program that includes high school students. The only requirement that I can see is that students be at least 16 years of age at the start of the program, so it doesn’t automatically preclude sophomores who meet the age requirement.
You’ll have to do a lot of leg work kicking the tires on these and other opportunities. It’s probably a long shot, but at the very least it will put you way ahead for your junior year.
@renaissancedad Thank you so much! I’ll look in to all of those programs. Also, do any companies in the field that you know of have outreach branches which could help me? Thanks
Good luck to you! My husband works at The Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Alabama. They have programs for students, but you’re probably better suited for one of the college internships in a few years. Good luck to you. It’s a great field of study.
I am actually a 2016 alumni for the JAX summer student program! It just finished two weeks ago! It was a lot of fun and I highly reccomend applying especially if you are interested in bioinformatics, tons of the other students did bioinformatics projects (mostly with R, I think some with Python) if you have any questions about please PM me!