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APPLICATION FOR WERNER H. KIRSTEN STUDENT INTERN PROGRAM (SIP) Program Information IMPORTANT INFORMATION - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY The National Cancer Institute's Werner H. Kirsten Student Intern Program (SIP) at Frederick is designed to expose high school seniors to research and administrative management in a health care environment.The scientific interns experience the basic methods of cancer research through "hands-on" laboratory training. Internships in Support of Science/Research may be assigned projects in information technology, graphics and media, and library science. The NCI-Frederick considers this training program to be an opportunity to further enhance our continuing working relationship with the communities of Frederick, Washington , Carroll (Maryland) and Jefferson (West Virginia) Counties. The authority for appointment to the Student Intern Program can be found under the Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) policy authorized by Section 413(b)(3) of the Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. 285a-2(b)(3), as modified by the Health Research Extension Act of 1985, and as permitted by regulations regarding the Special Volunteer Service Program. Sponsor/Mentor Section Logon / Mentor Select & Rankings
For technical problems with this application, click here. For questions regarding the program, click here.
General Information | Eligibility Requirements | Instructions For Home Schooled Students | Application Process | Selection Process | Responsibilities

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Students selected as scientific interns will be trained at the NCI-Frederick in laboratory techniques and safety procedures. The student will work for a mandatory eight consecutive weeks during the summer break between their junior and senior years of school under the Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) Program, with a total stipend of approximately $3,500. At the beginning of their senior year of high school, the student will then be converted to the Special Volunteer Program for the remainder of their internship. Interns will not be compensated for their service during the school year. However, they will receive four credits toward their State Diploma. Interns in positions Support of Science/Research (non-scientific) are not eligible for the compensated summer training and begin their internship as volunteers at the start of their senior year of high school. Interns in positions Support of Science/Research may request to volunteer during the summer.

2. Interns take the NCI internship for four credits towards their State Diploma. Any exceptions to this must be approved by (1) the appropriate school system staff, (2) SIP mentor scientist, (3) school principal, and (4) the NCI-Frederick SIP Coordinator, Office of Scientific Operations (OSO). If there is an exception to be processed, it is the responsibility of the school system to notify the NCI-Frederick SIP Coordinator.
   
   Please Note: Students participating in the Student Intern Program will be required to reduce their home school course load to a maximum of two (2) classes per semester. It has been our experience that students taking a full class load cannot devote adequate time to their Student Intern Program obligation thereby creating concern for both the student and the research lab or assigned office. Our researchers are performing "cutting edge" biomedical research, and their efforts can have a significant impact on the health of people in our community as well as throughout the world. The course load requirement is necessary to avoid inhibiting the productivity of the lab while providing an excellent educational opportunity for each student. Any exceptions to this requirement must be approved by the NCI-Frederick SIP Coordinator and appropriate school system staff.

3. Interns will be evaluated by the school coordinator or appropriate school system staff with quarterly input from the intern's SIP mentor (Progress Report) . As part of their evaluation, coordinators will require interns to complete specific assignments related to their SIP internship. These assignments may, depending upon your school system, include:

1. A SIP Project Planning Form - This is a one-page description of the intern's overall objectives to be accomplished for the school year. This requirement will be due in September of the internship year.
2. An Independent/Senior Project - This project will be directly connected to work completed in the lab or office and described in the SIP Project Planning Form, and will include a presentation in one of several possible forums which may include the local science fair, the Ft. Detrick/NCI-Frederick Research Festival, publication in a scientific journal, or other venue agreed upon by the school coordinator and the NCI SIP mentor. The independent project is due in the spring of the internship year.
3. An Internship Journal (only applicable to scientific interns) - This component will include copies of the intern's lab notebook pages (properly reviewed by the mentor regarding the release of proprietary information); the SIP mentor must initial and date their review, and the intern will include a brief (no more than one page) summary explanation of the lab notebook pages. The internship journal or mentor certification that it has been done will be collected monthly by the school coordinator or appropriate school system staff. If the information contained in the journal is proprietary or the school coordinator or appropriate school system staff do not need to see the journal or the summary, then documentation signed and dated by the mentor that the journal has been submitted, reviewed, and is acceptable must be submitted by the intern. This requirement is evaluated on the intern’s Progress Report. Journals or appropriate documentation should not be submitted to the school coordinator or their representative until they have been reviewed and signed by the mentor. It is up to the SIP mentor, in consultation with the intern, as to when the lab notebook will be initiated (i.e., during the summer or at the start of the school year). The journal summary or mentor certification will be submitted monthly to the school system representative only after the start of the school year.
4. Preparation of a College Application portfolio - This will include a resume, the SAT examination scores, written personal goals, and letters of recommendation. SIP mentors may choose to submit letters of recommendation, but are not required to do so.
5. A semester (not each quarter) (two total for the internship) requirement/project - This may be (a) presenting their project at one or more public scientific events, such as the NIH Student Fair, the NCI-Frederick Spring Research Festival, the Maryland Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, and/or the Frederick County Science Fair, (b) writing a paper and/or research proposal, or (c) presenting a paper or their research to a journal club or to the intern class at a quarterly meeting. Evidence of the completion of one of these requirements must be provided to the SIP mentor prior to the completion of their evaluation for that period. Student evaluations may also be based on weekly homework assignments given at the discretion of the SIP mentor. The homework assignments may include reading, researching a topic, evaluating a process, or any other topic relevant to the internship experience. Evaluation items are to be completed outside laboratory time or during "down time" in the lab. This requirement applies to all student interns (lab or office assignments).

These assignments will be completed outside the internship laboratory experience, although advice/guidance from the SIP mentor may be required to complete some components of the assignments. These assignments should not detract from the intern's time in the lab/office or impact their performance in the lab/office. As assigned by the school coordinator, copies of the assignments and pertinent related information will be provided to the SIP mentor. It will be the intern's responsibility to monitor due dates and ensure assignments are submitted to the school coordinator in a timely manner. The school coordinator will notify the SIP mentor as assignments are completed and, if possible, provide the SIP mentor with a copy of the completed assignment.

4. Each NCI-Frederick SIP mentor or appointed designee will work with the intern to establish their work schedule and duties prior to the start of the internship. The scientific intern will be expected to work a mandatory eight consecutive 40 hour weeks during the summer. During their senior school year, all interns will be expected to perform their assigned duties for at least three hours per day and may work either mornings or afternoons. However, the preference of the intern's SIP mentor will be taken into consideration with regard to morning or afternoon assignments. If the SIP mentor and student propose to work outside normal working hours (8:30 am to 5:00 pm), there must be a supervisor present to continue working with the student. Interns are expected to arrive at work on time unless they have notified their SIP mentor and received approval for a late arrival.

5. During the school year, the normal school calendar will be in effect. Interns may be excused from their lab responsibilities on all days when the school system is closed (including inclement weather) after consultation with their SIP mentor, and on Federal holidays when the NCI-Frederick is closed (also including closure due to inclement weather). Participants must realize that their projects may require them to be in the lab on days that school is not in session. Interns are expected to notify their SIP mentors if they are not coming to work for both scheduled (holiday) and unscheduled (inclement weather) school closings. Interns can request a Federal holiday schedule from their SIP mentors and may learn of NCI-Frederick campus inclement weather closures by calling 301-846-1444 or 301-619-7611 for a recorded message after 6:00 a.m.

6. There is no fee or charge for participation in the SIP. However, students are responsible for their own transportation to NCI-Frederick and any meals or snacks they may need while on campus.

7. Relatives of NCI employees and associated contractors may be appointed. However, direct or indirect SIP mentorship between interns and relatives is not allowed. Furthermore, NCI employees may not advocate or participate in the review, evaluation or selection of any fellowship application involving a relative.
   
   NOTE: The prohibition of nepotism policy, contained in NIH Manual Issuance 2300-310-3, defines RELATIVE as spouse, son, daughter, mother, father, aunt, uncle, brother, brother-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, stepbrother, stepdaughter, stepfather, stepmother, stepsister and stepson, and NIH extends the definition to include close, personal relationships between consenting persons who share the same household.

8. Prior to the start date of their appointments, all interns are required to visit the Occupational Health Services office located at the NCI-Frederick for a general health assessment. Parental consent is mandatory for individuals under the age of 18.

9. The internship may be terminated at any time by the NCI-Frederick, the intern, or the school system. A one-week notice will be given by the NCI-Frederick prior to the effective date of the termination. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the NCI-Frederick SIP Coordinator and their school coordinator if they are experiencing problems associated with their internship and are unable to resolve them. The NCI-Frederick SIP Coordinator or their designee will work with the intern to attempt to resolve the problem(s) in the best interest of all parties involved. A description of the CRTA program may be found at http://home.ncifcrf.gov/campus/arc/personnelNonFTE.stm#CRTA. Provisions of the CRTA program may be found at http://home.ncifcrf.gov/campus/arc/Download/CRTAprovisions.dot. Additional information on the Special Volunteer Program may be found at http://home.ncifcrf.gov/campus/arc/personnelNonFTE.stm#SPV.

10. The students selected for the scientific program are required to complete a one day SIP Laboratory Safety Training Course at the NCI-Frederick prior to the initiation of their summer internship. This course is MANDATORY and will be held in May. Students who do not complete the course will not be permitted to work in NCI-Frederick laboratories.

11. Students participating in the SIP will be evaluated at the end of each quarter by their SIP mentors. Each SIP mentor will provide a written evaluation to both the student and their school coordinator based on the following areas: (1) willingness to perform assigned tasks, (2) performing assigned tasks in an acceptable manner, (3) punctuality, (4) commitment of time to their research, (5) ability to work without direct supervision, (6) ability to work cooperatively with others, (7) contributions to the program, and (8) overall performance (Progress Report ).
    
    Grades for students participating in the SIP will be assigned by their school coordinators or appropriate school official and will be primarily based on the written evaluations provided by the NCI SIP mentors. However, additional considerations (class assignments, school attendance, etc.) may impact a student’s grade as determined by the school coordinator or appropriate school official.

12. Students should fully discuss this internship with their parent/guardian to ensure that the parent/guardian is aware of the nature of the program and the student’s responsibility to the program. The responsibility of the student to this program is paramount and may impact other activities in which the student would like to participate. Careful consideration must be given to the amount of time the student is willing to dedicate to this intern program.

13. Questions regarding this program can be addressed to the NCI-Frederick SIP Coordinator at 301-846-1106.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Students must:

1. Be in their junior year of high school when applying.
2. Have successfully earned two credits in science and mathematics, all with grades of B or above. (See Item 4. for exception.)
3. Be enrolled in their junior year in both a science and mathematics course or have the equivalent of three math/science years of credits.
4. Have an overall un-weighted grade point average of 3.0 or greater (based on a 4.0 maximum). Students with a GPA lower than 3.0 may apply if they attach a strong, detailed recommendation from either a science or math teacher describing why the student would be a good candidate for consideration. If special circumstances exist as to why the student’s GPA is lower than 3.0, the teacher recommendation should address that. This recommendation is in addition to the application requirements and does not replace any of them. Please make sure that this attachment is identified as being part of the application package for that student.
5. Be able to qualify (for scientific interns) for the Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) Program which requires that the student be sixteen years of age or older, and a U.S. citizen or resident alien. There are no waivers to this requirement. Resident aliens must provide a copy of their Permanent Resident Card as part of the application process. All applicants must identify on their resume their country of citizenship.
6. Have taken a computer-based course (for scientific interns in a computer lab) or be currently enrolled in such a course.
7. Health insurance – students who do not have health insurance cannot participate in the SIP.

The Werner H. Kirsten Student Intern Program (SIP) is available to home schooled students residing in Frederick County, Maryland; Washington County, Maryland; and in Jefferson County, West Virginia who meet all other application criteria as identified in the application package.

The forms included in this application package were created for students attending formal schools in the public and private/religious sectors. We request that all home schooled students complete the forms to the extent they are able. In addition, because all of the information requested on these forms is critical to mentors in making their selections of students to interview, we ask that home schooled students also provide the following (to be submitted as part of the application package) to assist our mentors with their evaluations:

1. Scores from any standardized tests including but not limited to the SAT.
2. List of classes taken at any formal learning center or educational institution.
3. List of any science or math related courses/training.
4. List of any laboratory or computer experience.
5. Document how the applicant meets the required 3.0 Grade Point Average (or equivalent).
6. Indicate if the applicant has participated in any science related activity outside of classroom instruction (i.e., science fairs, presentations, other types of competitions, trips, etc…).

This information is submitted in lieu of transcripts and other evaluative measures not required in home schooling.

All home schooled interns will be evaluated on the schedule for the public schools in their county of residence. This schedule will be provided to the student. The progress reports will be submitted to the parents of the subject intern unless otherwise indicated.

If a home schooled student is selected to participate in the SIP, it is recommended that the individual primarily responsible for the students’ instruction arrange to visit the students’ mentor/co-mentor in the fall and spring of the school year to discuss how the student is doing with regard to their internship responsibilities. Minimal contact with mentors/co-mentors is recommended for instructors. All interns will be provided with the names of individuals whom they may contact if a problem arises which they are unable to handle.

APPLICATION PROCESS

1. Cover Sheet and Application Checklist, to be signed by an authorized school representative Download Document (Document should be submitted to the school POC.)
2. Parental Consent and Acknowledgement form: Required for all interns under18 years of age Download Document (Document should be submitted to the school POC.)
3. Students who are not US citizens MUST provide a copy of their Permanent Resident Card. (Copy should be submitted to their school POC.)
4. Projected Senior Year Plan (electronically submitted)
5. Two teacher evaluations: The teacher evaluation form on-line at http://web.ncifcrf.gov/careers/student_programs/internships/SIP.asp. must be used. These forms must be completed by the student’s current year science and/or mathematics teachers for scientific interns and by current year mathematics and/or business teachers for Internships in Support of Science/Research. The evaluations should not be shared with the students and should be provided to the students in a sealed envelope for submission with the application. Teachers must sign the forms. (Letters should be submitted to the school POC.)
6. Resume: The resume should consist of name, address, home telephone number, date of birth, citizenship, e-mail address, work experience and other qualifications (job skills, languages, typing speed, computer hardware/software, etc.) (electronically submitted).
7. Official school transcript: This transcript must contain either an official stamp or be signed/dated by the individual providing the transcript to the student. Transcripts that do not display either an official stamp or a signature/date will not be accepted. (Document should be submitted to the school POC.)
8. A letter from the student describing (electronically submitted):
   1. academic goals and career interests. Do not reiterate your transcript; look toward the future, what you might like to be doing and how you plan to get there academically. If you have several goals/career interests in mind, please list them; scientific intern applicants should not limit themselves to a specific scientific discipline unless you are unwilling to accept an internship in any other area; you may express specific interests, but it might be rewarding to experience an internship in a discipline other than your first choice, especially if you have not had exposure to other areas. Mentors are looking for highly motivated, responsible, dedicated students who enjoy new challenges; keep this in mind when preparing your letter.
   2. reasons for wishing to participate in the Student Intern Program. Please be specific; do not use generalities such as “……because I want to find a cure for cancer,” or because it looks good on a college application.
   3. hobbies and other areas of interest and participation you have outside of the school setting that may not have been identified in other parts of the application, including but not limited to organized programs and volunteer organizations.
   4. Relevant personal experiences that define you as an individual. Describe something important to you and how it affected you. Some examples are volunteering, a special teacher relationship, entering a competition, when you became interested in a subject you consider as one of your career goals including but not limited to science (for science intern applicants).

This letter is considered to be a critical part of the application package and should not be a reiteration of the resume or the transcript. Reflect yourself in this letter; do not repeat information that can be found elsewhere in your application. Mentors are looking for characteristics that make the applicant the unique individual that they are and also to gain some insight into the students’ personality which a resume and transcript do not provide.

ALTHOUGH A PORTION OF THE APPLICATION IS SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY. PLEASE PROVIDE A COPY OF YOUR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION SUMMARY PAGE TO SCHOOL CONTACT.

SELECTION PROCESS

The SIP is a competitive program. SIP mentors will select the students to be interviewed from among the received applications determined to be eligible. The students selected for interview will be responsible for arranging their interview appointments with SIP mentors. Information will be sent to the selected students regarding this process. The purpose of the interview process is to match the student and the SIP mentor as a compatible pair.

After the students have been interviewed, students and SIP mentors must submit, in priority order, the names of individuals with whom they would like to work. A minimum of six names is recommended but may not be possible in all cases. If a rank is provided, it will be assumed that a match with that individual is acceptable. Both student and SIP mentor must mutually agree to work together. The NCI-Frederick SIP Coordinator will notify appropriate school system staff by letter as to the selection of students for internships in the SIP. The school system will, in turn, notify the students of their selection/non-selection. STUDENTS WILL NOT CONTACT POTENTIAL MENTORS PRIOR TO NOTIFCATION OF THEIR SELECTION/NON-SELECTION.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. STUDENTS
1. Appropriate attire, attitude, work habits, compliance with all NCI-Frederick safety rules, and punctuality regarding work hours is expected of all interns. Students must read and respond to, when appropriate, all SIP related e-mails and other correspondence that will be mailed to the student at their assigned NCI-Frederick e-mail address.
2. Scientific students are expected to make a firm time commitment to pursuing research as part of their internship in the program. Because of this time commitment, students are strongly discouraged from attempting a full load of classes at their school in conjunction with participation in this program. Any such attempt must be reviewed and approved by appropriate staff in the participating school systems.
3. Participation in outside activities is not acceptable if these activities interfere with the student's responsibilities in the SIP.
4. Scientific interns must complete a mandatory NCI-Frederick one-day safety training course prior to beginning the program.
5. Students are required to attend the annual May reception and quarterly student meetings, and the scientific interns must attend the summer seminar series for students.
6. All interns are required to complete two requirements/projects (as identified in GENERAL INFORMATION/Item 3e) during the school year (one each semester).
7. Students are required to complete weekly homework assignments, if assigned (as identified in GENERAL INFORMATION/Item 3e).

2. SCHOOL SYSTEMS
1. Submitting completed application packages of candidates to the NCI-Frederick SIP Coordinator.
2. Informing students of their selection for participation in the Werner H. Kirsten Student Intern Program.
3. Notifying non-selected students by letter.
4. Participating in progress reviews with the student and SIP mentor at least once a semester and providing any necessary documentation to the SIP mentor which would impact this evaluation.
5. Ensuring that the SIP mentor is notified (not via e-mail) of any excused absence of the student from school and/or work.
6. Communicating with school-based mentor-intern coordinators as necessary to assure a productive mentor-student experience.

3. OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC OPERATIONS, NCI-FREDERICK
1. Receiving the applications for the Werner H. Kirsten Student Intern Program from the school systems.
2. Review of the qualifications of each student, i.e., a review of the documents submitted by each student which verifies that the student meets all eligibility criteria.
3. Distributing the applications to the SIP selection mentors/reviewers.
4. Providing written notification to the school systems regarding the selected students.
5. Providing the NCI Administrative Resource Centers (ARC’s) with a final list of Student/Government Sponsor/Mentor matches, and providing building, room, phone, and fax data on Government Sponsors and Students for use in NED’s data entry. Providing the HNC, IC, Division and Lab/Branch data for the Government Sponsor, and the Government Sponsor center number for CYBORG space reporting purposes (sample spreadsheet attached). Providing a secretarial contact.

4. SIP MENTORS/LABS
1. Reviewing and interviewing the applicants, following the NCI criteria, and selecting students with consideration given to qualified minority applicants.
2. Developing an appropriate training plan(s).
3. Providing the NCI-Frederick ARC the data and forms necessary to process the SIP appointments by established deadlines.
4. Establishing a work schedule and duties mutually agreed upon and assuring that the intern is supervised at all times.
5. Insuring that the student works eight consecutive weeks during the summer and at least three hours per day, as appropriate, during the school year.
6. Immediately reporting any intern injury to the NCI-Frederick SIP Coordinator, the NCI-Frederick ARC and OHS.
7. Providing advice, guidance, and instruction to each intern under their supervision and evaluating progress in the training program with the intern, a school representative and a representative from the school systems at least once a semester, including a written quarterly progress report which is shown to, discussed with, and signed off by the student and SIP mentor prior to submission to the NCI-Frederick SIP Coordinator.
8. Ensuring that interns receive and follow all necessary instructions in safety procedures and the proper use and care of animals and equipment.
9. Monitoring daily attendance and contacting the school coordinator of the student's school directly in the event the intern is absent from work without prior notification from either the student or the school. Attendance log must maintained and submitted quarterly.
10. Communicating with school-based mentor-intern coordinators as necessary to assure a productive mentor-student experience.
11. Evaluating the student at specified time periods.
12. Immediately notifying the NCI-Frederick ARC of 1) any changes to the CRTA or SPV award periods and 2) of any absence of the intern that would require their placement in absent without s tipend status.
13. Assuring the intern completes the NCI-Frederick Clearance form and process by obtaining all the mandatory signatures, and assuming responsibility to get those signatures in the event the intern departs without properly completing the clearance process.
14. Providing the student with weekly homework assignments, as appropriate. These assignments may include but are not limited to reading, researching a topic, evaluating a process, or any other topic relevant to the internship experience. These assignments will be included as part of the students’ periodic evaluations.
15. Providing the student with assistance in meeting the semester-based requirement to complete one of the following (or another activity approved as appropriate by the NCI SIP mentor): (a) presenting their project at one or more public scientific events, such as the NIH Student Fair, the NCI-Frederick Spring Research Festival, the Maryland Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, and/or the Frederick County Science Fair, (b) writing a paper and/or research proposal, (c) presenting a paper or their research to a journal club or to the intern class at a quarterly meeting, and (d) including their research in their senior project.
16. Obtaining the student’s NCI-Frederick email address and providing it to Emily Moler.
    
    
Items m. and n. will be completed outside laboratory time or during “down time” in the lab.

5. ADMINISTRATIVE RESOURCE CENTER’S, NCI-FREDERICK
1. Managing and coordinating all aspects of the Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) and Special Volunteer Program (SPV) appointments following the completion of the SIP mentor/student matching process managed by OSO, NCI-Frederick , to include the management, execution and/or completion of all items as identified on the NCI-Frederick SIP Appointment Checklist
2. Maintaining official file for the CRTA and SPV appointments.
3. Executing certification for CRTA stipends.
4. Managing and processing termination actions at the conclusion of the internship.

WERNER H. KIRSTEN STUDENT INTERN PROGRAM (SIP) is closed at this time.