Students accepted into the program will be paired with an experienced research mentor affiliated with their local partnering institution (see below for a list of partnering institutions). The research internship typically starts in early June (or as early as late May) and spans 8 weeks over the course of the summer. Student interns will work with their mentor to design and execute a research project using the scientific method. Interns are required to submit an abstract in early July that briefly outlines their project as well as create a powerpoint presentation to be submitted at the completion of the internship. Interns that have just completed their senior year of high school will also be required to make a scientific poster summarizing their research project and findings. Interns chosen to participate in the National High School STEP-UP Summer Research Symposium will travel to Bethesda, Maryland  in early August to present their projects through both oral and poster formats to their student peers as well as industry professionals.