ASTEMA — Advancing STEM in Agriculture is a paid internship program for high school students that includes a year-long online program and a summer research camp.
Twelve positions for high school students are available at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in collaboration with Jookender.
The program is designed for high school students planning to attend college and major in STEM disciplines, and are interested in exploring how such majors can be applied to build a career in agriculture with the USDA.
The program consists of online meetings twice a month during October, followed by the in-person three-week travel camp activities on and off the UMES campus.
Part of the online activities will include lectures and discussions in STEM science in agriculture, genomics, biotechnology, phytochemistry, and the use of technology and engineering in agriculture.
The other online meetings will be devoted to professional and leadership development, as well as college preparation.
Travel camp will include active team experiential learning led by trained college students and their mentors, workshops in small electronic devices building, 3D printing, drones in agriculture, soil analysis, medical herbal teas, and many others, field trips to agricultural and demonstration facilities, wet experiments in the lab, reporting and final presentations by teams of trainees.
Travel and housing expenses, as well as a food allowance, will be provided during the travel camp. A stipend of $1,000 will be paid to each high school participant upon completion of all program activities. In addition, each high school student will earn up to 120 community hours, and each educator will receive a certificate listing 120 professional development hours.
Application criteria for high school students:
- Has an interest in STEM science.
- Prepare to apply to colleges for STEM and Agricultural disciplines.
- Has a desire to explore STEM in agriculture.
- Completed at least one course in high school science with a grade of C or above.
- Merit, based on the application — one-page essay, resume, and school transcripts.
- Available to participate in Zoom webinars twice a month, from October to June, in the late evening on weekdays.
- Committed to a three-week travel camp.
- Have at least one more high-school year after the completion of summer camp.
- Eligible for employment in the US for the period, including the entire month of July 2027.
For more information on the program and to apply, read the full description at https://sites.google.com/view/astema/description-and-application. Applications are now open for 2026-27 cohort. The deadline is Sept. 15, 2026, at 5 p.m.
For more information, contact Dr. Victoria Volkis at vvolkis@umes.edu
