YES! Teen Internship Program

The Youth Engagement through Science (YES!) internship (实习) is a career immersion and science communication program for the youth between the ages of 14-19, who are currently enrolled in high school (grades 9-11) in the Washington, D.C. region. The YES! Program gives interns practical experience through a hands-on science internship with Smithsonian science staff. By participating in the program, teens will also have access to behind-the-scenes tours and fieldtrips, creative studio workshops and college preparatory classes. During each week of the program, interns typically spend two days following their mentor (导师) and learning a variety of skills.

How to apply

To apply, create an account on the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment System (SOLAA).Then start an application for this internship program.

·Register for SOLA A.

·Select “Internship”.

·Select “Office of Internships”.

·Select “Smithsonian YES! Teen Internship Program” from the drop-down menu.

Program components

Participants must choose at least one out of the three program components.

·Summer Session: 6 weeks, Monday through Friday, June 27—August 5, 2023.

·Saturday Sessions: 8 weeks, Saturdays only, August 13—October 1, 2023.

·Reach100: Interns are tasked to reach 100 of their peers, October 2—November 4, 2023.

Who can apply

Anyone who meets the requirements is eligible(有资格的) to apply. Applicants must:

·Be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents.

·Attend a local high school in the Washington, D.C. region.

·Be in good academic rank.

·Be interested in science or cultural studies as a potential career path.

Contact Information

Youth Programs Staff at: youthnmnh@si.edu (links ends e-mail), 202-633-4588

As a child, I was a slow learner when it came to physical skills. Perhaps this was why I got angry when a friend suggested that I try stand-up paddle boarding (站立式划桨). My fear was that my ability to learn a new physical skill had not improved with the passing decades.

However, stand-up paddle boarding had already caught my eye. During visits to Maine lakes, I had seen many people delightedly practicing it under a warm sun. It looked so easy and fun, as the only thing it needed was the ability to standup, right?

In a burst of optimism, I bought a paddle board and, with my friend Mike, headed for a lake deep in the Maine woods, out of sight of potential critics. After setting the paddle board on the water, athletic Mike generously offered to test it out. He jumped on it successfully on the first try. Then it was my turn. I began by kneeling(跪) upon the shaky paddle board and after a while, slowly and carefully, I tried to stand but immediately flew into the water. I tried it again, but again I failed.

The act of falling reminded me that learning was an energy-consuming effort. New physical skills might be more difficult to acquire later in life, but I believed that adults had an advantage over children. The effort together with the built in understanding that falling is part of the process, is accompanied by faith born of experience. After countless failures, I finally stood upright on the paddle board and I had never been so happy about the simple act of standing up.

Now, I’m one of those enjoying the fun of stand-up paddle boarding under a brilliant sky. Maybe someone on the shore will point at me and remark, “How does he do that?” I already have my response. Practice may not always make perfect, but it certainly makes possible.

Each year, the world produces more than 300 million tons of plastic waste, which can take a longtime to breakdown. Almost a third of the world’s plastic waste is polypropylene, a hard plastic used to make bottle: caps and food containers that typically take hundreds of years to degrade.

Now, a group of scientists at the University of Sydney, in Australia have developed a solution: using fungi (真菌) found in soils to devour lab samples of polypropylene.

In the experiment, the scientists first weakened pieces of polypropylene plastic by exposing them to heat, chemicals, or ultraviolet (UV) light so the fungi can do their job quickly. Fungi degrade materials like plastic into simpler molecules that they can then get rid of. The usually smooth plastic become full of marks as the fungi carryout their dirty work.

The two fungi, Aspergillus terreus and Engyodontium album, made a meal of the plastic in the lab experiments. As the researchers reported, between 25 and 27 percent of samples were digested after 90 days, and the plastic was completely broken down after 140 days.

More than 400 microorganisms have so far been found to degrade plastic naturally, with fungi attracting a fair bit of attention for their ability to degrade all sorts of man-made materials. “Recent studies suggest some fungi may even degrade some of the ‘forever chemicals’ like PFAS, but the process is slow and not yet well understood,” explains microbiologist Dee Carter of the University of Sydney.

Currently, the team is testing ways to speed up the degradation process, and assessing the economic and environmental factors of potential commercial use. If the team can transform their laboratory solution into a commercial-scale plastic waste management system, the world will finally have a promising solution to one of our most pressing environmental issues.

Have you ever imagined getting to the airport in a flying taxi, soaring over those who are stuck in traffic below? What would you feel if electric air taxis could one day take you from downtown to the suburbs, high above expressway traffic, in a tiny amount of the time it takes to drive?

It’s not a dream in the distant future. It’s the vision of electric aircraft developer Eve, which is leading a group of aviation companies and local governments conducting simulations (模拟) in Chicago. Though the aircraft are likely years away from receiving official approval to fly, it’s a vision shared by other major companies, like Chicago-based United Airlines, which recently struck a conditional agreement to purchase at least 200 of Eve’s flying taxis.

The concept of bypassing (绕开) traffic by air isn’t new. But Eve co-CEO And re Stein said the air taxis are nothing like conventional electric helicopters or flying cars. They are designed to use eight motors distributed around the aircraft to take off vertically, then electric pushers and wings to glide forward.

Stein hopes the air taxis to help passengers reach meetings across town or providing away to get home quickly in time for a child’s birthday. Compared to an everyday option like public transport, they can help save time when necessary. Besides, the new technology is expected to make air taxis more affordable than helicopters and the ticket price could be around $ 100 to travel 20 miles. Stein also boasts what he describes as improved efficiency and sustainability. “It’s much simpler, much lower maintenance than a helicopter, much quieter,” he said.

For now, Eve hopes their work will help provide a better understanding of how the air taxis could fit into current air traffic patterns and how they can connect with users journey via ground transport to the heliport. “It’s really about bringing another option for urban air mobility,” Stein said.