Geo-Launchpad

🌎 Ignite Your Geoscience Passion this Summer! 🌎

STUDENTS: applications for summer 2026 are now OPEN! Please scroll below for instructions and the application link.

MENTORS can apply to host a Geo-Launchpad intern by completing an application here.

Ready to turn your summer into a geoscience adventure? The Geo-Launchpad Program (GLP) is not just an internship – it’s your ticket to an unforgettable science experience! Open exclusively to community college students in the U.S., GLP is designed to fuel your passion for geoscience and propel you into an exciting world of opportunities.

Program Highlights

💸 Get Paid to Learn: Dive into a paid summer internship with a stipend of $800/week– because your passion should pay off!

🏡 Home Sweet Housing: Enjoy free shared housing during orientation week! A housing stipend will be issued to interns to help cover the cost of living at their project placement. Interns are responsible for securing their own housing.

🚀 Launch Your Geoscience Journey: No research experience? No problem! Geo-Launchpad welcomes all levels of curiosity and experience.

What to Expect

🔬 Unleash Your Inner Scientist: Work on real projects with a mentor, dive into the details, and get hands-on experience in a supportive environment.

🌐 Professional Development: Boost your skills beyond academics – from crafting a killer resume to acing interviews. Past workshops covered everything from science poster creation to effective science communication to learning about the several diverse career pathways in geophysics.

🤝 Mentorship Magic: Forge connections with peers and professionals who’ve been in your shoes, offering mentorship and support during the summer and beyond.

🏞️ Fieldwork Fun: Many (but not all) mentor projects include the opportunity for summer interns to spend some time outside working with instrumentation.

📢 Attend a Conference: All interns travel to attend a conference in the fall and present a poster on their summer project. *Funding for 2025 conference attendance is provisional pending future grant awards from NSF

🎓 Beyond Summer: Connections forged with fellow interns and professionals, as well as a geophysics faculty, can jump start your academic and career journey.

What does EarthScope look like? Browse our photo galleries to get a glimpse into internships, our instrument facilities, and more.

🤩 What do our alumni say?

“As someone with an untraditional academic background, little to no STEM courses under my belt, and absolutely no idea what the scientific community was like, I was incredibly intimidated. To be frank, in the early weeks of the internship I felt an extreme sense of imposter syndrome that I considered giving into. Thankfully, under my mentor who was extremely understanding, very informative, and energetic about educating us, the negative feelings I had began to subside. Day by day, week by week, I felt more and more confident about what I was doing. By the time we began to finalize our poster and presentation, I felt -and continue to feel- very proud of the work we did this summer. This experience has made me excited for my future in the scientific field. Transferring to a university for a science degree no longer feels like a far-flung dream.” -2022 GLP intern

“Without Geo-Launchpad, I wouldn’t have the confidence, support, and continued drive in Earth Sciences. This summer I made lifelong memories, I met brilliant people, and was inspired to continue to work hard. With your help, I can now navigate the world of science with a little more ease, knowing there are people who want to see me succeed.” -2021 GLP intern

Frequently Asked Questions

Spend eleven weeks working full time (~40 hours per week)
Complete a project under the guidance of a mentor
Present at the end of the internship
Participate in activities such as science communication and professional development workshops, field trips, and presenting at a national conference in the fall
Learn, grow, and have fun!

Most projects are based within Colorado or New Mexico, however, we strive to be flexible in work location. Some projects can be hybrid or 100% remote. If working outside of your home, we will do our best to provide a proper working space.

We will do our best to assign you a project that matches your interests. However, we cannot guarantee specific projects, and project topics will depend on the current work of the project mentors.

Applications typically open in late fall and close on February 15 each year. The summer internship program typically begins in late May and runs until early August (11 weeks).

Yes, free housing is provided to all interns during orientation week. A housing stipend will be issued to interns in early May and interns are responsible for securing their own housing at their project placement.

Yes, the program provides financial assistance with travel.

We require that interns are available to participate for all 11 weeks of the program. While we can accommodate a sick day or two, this is a strict requirement.

Summer classes are not advised. You will be expected to work during the core hours of the day (typically 9am-5pm) and unable to attend classes during work time.

The EarthScope Consortium offers multiple internship opportunities at various academic levels, beginning with Geo-Launchpad at the community college level.

EarthScope’s research internship, RESESS, is targeted at upper division undergraduate students from underrepresented groups in the geosciences and serves as an authentic research experience.

EarthScope’s Student Career Internship Program offers internships that are real-world work experiences for upper division undergraduates, graduates, and post-graduates that relate to the students’ major or career goal.

The Geo-Launchpad internship is designed for community college students (only) who are early in their academic career with no prior research experience.

You should apply, and if you are accepted, we will discuss what kind of arrangements would be best for your family and we will make every effort to meet those needs.

🚀 Ready to Ignite Your Geoscience Passion?

Applications for the summer 2026 program are now OPEN! Please read through the requirements and instructions thoroughly prior to applying.

Internship Requirements

At the time of applications, you must:

be a U.S. citizen.
be enrolled and currently attending classes in a U.S.-based community college through the current academic year (through spring) with plans to transfer to a 4-year university.
be at least 18 years old by the start of the summer program (mid-May).
have an interest in science, technology, or engineering.
have completed or are currently enrolled in college algebra (or equivalent).
have completed or are currently enrolled in at least one science course.
have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.

No prior research experience is required!

Application Instructions

Deadline to apply is February 15 at 11:59PM Eastern Time.

🌟 Your summer of geoscience exploration starts here! Apply for Geo-Launchpad and make this summer the one you’ll always remember. Your journey to becoming a geoscience superstar awaits!

YOU MUST COMPLETE AN APPLICATION WITHIN THE SUBMITTABLE SYSTEM TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THESE INTERNSHIPS.

Please have your official or unofficial transcripts in PDF form ready to attach to the application.

Additional information:

You will need to create a free Submittable account or sign in with Google or Facebook credentials to submit to these forms.
You can save a draft of your work if you would like to finish filling out the form at a later date.
If anything changes with the information you submitted, please request to edit the submission Submittable works best on Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Internet Explorer is not supported. Please make sure you are using a supported browser.
We will follow-up with you about your submission by email. Please be sure to safelist notification emails from Submittable and check the email you used to sign up for your Submittable Account regularly.

Application Questions

Below are the short answer “Getting to Know You” questions you can expect on the application, each have a response limit of 200 words. We strongly encourage applicants to respond to the questions on a separate document, have a trusted person review your work, then copy/paste your responses into the application!

Tell us about a time you noticed something interesting about the Earth System and wanted to understand it better. What questions did you ask yourself? How did you explore or investigate it?
a) Please indicate which topics interest you the most in the Earth sciences and include 1-2 sentences on why you find these topics interesting. b) How would participation in the internship help you explore your interests and develop new skills or tools?
How have your background and lived experiences helped prepare you to contribute to and benefit from this program? You may also share any experiences or circumstances that have shaped your academic journey.
What do you consider to be your proudest achievement? (It need not be related to science or academia) What does this achievement say about you as a learner, collaborator, or community member?
(Optional) Please share any additional information about yourself not addressed by this application, or any concerns you have with participating in the program.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY TO THE GEO-LAUNCHPAD INTERNSHIP

Questions? Please contact internships@earthscope.org

The Geo-Launchpad Program is a summer internship program dedicated to introducing early academic career students to research and increasing diversity in the geosciences. This program is hosted by EarthScope Consortium and funded by the National Science Foundation.