The NSF National Geophysical Facility (NSF NGF), operated by EarthScope Consortium, has welcomed 26 interns to participate in this year’s summer internships. The RESESS (Research Experience in Solid Earth Science for Students), Geo-Launchpad, and Student Career programs provide aspiring geophysicists with research career development opportunities to support their futures in geophysics.
The Geo-Launchpad program provides internships exclusively to community college students who are new to geophysical research and are interested in gaining experience. This year, seven students will work on mentored research projects spanning seismology and geodesy. Ten upper-level undergraduate students are joining the RESESS program, which provides independent research projects under the guidance of a mentor. The Student Career program offers real-world work experience for upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates. This year, nine Career interns will work with EarthScope staff to further the mission of both the NSF NGF and EarthScope.
The interns kicked off their first week at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque with an in-person orientation supported by EarthScope Engagement staff. Interns participated in activities like seismic and geodetic field experiments, an introductory coding workshop, professional development counseling, and a field trip to Petroglyphs National Monument.
Alumni mentors provide additional support for this year’s interns. These are members of the NSF NGF community who previously participated in one of the internship programs, and are now contracted to assist program staff with orientation activities and professional development. Over the summer, alumni mentors will conduct check-ins and support to interns, drawing from their own internship experiences.
GeoLaunchpad and RESESS interns work with mentors who guide their research and learning journey. Interns are often grouped together where possible at the same institution and under the guidance of the same mentor. This year’s mentor team draws on the expertise of 15 project mentors representing 10 academic institutions and three United States Geological Survey (USGS) branches, from Hawai’i to Michigan. While there are some returning mentors to this year’s programs, many are mentoring NSF NGF interns for the first time.
Though the first week of the program began in-person, the interns have now all traveled to their project locations. Internship community building continues weekly with scheduled Zoom calls devoted to professional development, like improving academic writing and research skills, and supporting career exploration. All programs will conclude after 11 weeks, but interns will reunite with EarthScope staff and each other at the Geological Society of America and American Geophysical Union meetings later this fall, where they will present their work to the broader community.
The NSF NGF internship programs are highly effective at preparing students for careers in geophysics and providing them with a network of future opportunities. Some interns continue to work with their internship mentors after the program, like 2025 RESESS intern Casper Graham, whose undergraduate thesis included work done during his time in the program. Interns have also found future mentors to work with for their graduate degree or post-graduate research, and others come back to work at EarthScope – like 2024 Career intern Hayley Bricker, who is now a Science Communication Associate, and 2025 Career intern Yurong “Riley” Zhang who will join the instrumentation team as an engineer.
Over the course of this summer, we’ll introduce many of our interns and share details about their projects! Keep up with the interns on our social media platforms, and subscribe to our internship mailing list to find out about future opportunities.