SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION PROGRAM -- SPRING 2021 INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

The Science and Technology Innovation Program (STIP) is currently welcoming applications for the spring semester of 2021. Our internships are designed to provide the opportunity for current students or recent graduates for practical experience in an environment that successfully combines scholarship with public policy. We recommend exploring our website to determine if your research interests align with current STIP programming around emerging technologies, i.e.:

5G • Artificial Intelligence • Big Data • Citizen Science • Cybersecurity • Disinformation • Marine Debris / Ocean Plastics • One Health • Open Science • Public Communication of Science • Serious Games

We offer two types of internships: graduate-level research and undergraduate-level research internships. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Wilson Center continues to closely monitor guidelines established by the CDC and other authorities surrounding COVID-19. At this time, all internships will continue to be served remotely. Internships are unpaid unless otherwise stated.

Please find more details about our application process and internship opportunities on our website.

The Serious Games Initiative Internship

We are seeking a research intern for the Science and Technology Innovation Program's Serious Games Initiative, reporting to the Director of SGI.

About the Program

As a dominate form of media used by the average American, games have the power to make complex ideas accessible, allowing a direct experience to worth through the intricacies of policy problems. The Serious Games Initiative (SGI) was founded with one goal: to use games to engage the broader public in policy discourse. It is one thing to read about potential impact of policy solutions – it is another to live it. Since its founding, SGI has been a leader in the field of serious games. Under the umbrella of the Science and Technology Innovation Program, SGI is using games as a dynamic technology to communicate cutting edge research at the Wilson Center and beyond.

The primary responsibilities of this internship would be:

• Write or edit articles for either peer-reviewed or popular media, such as blog posts amplifying the applications of serious games for policy initiatives.
• Conduct background policy research to support game development.
• Support meetings for game-based working groups, conferences, and other events, gaining valuable project management experience.

Successful applicants should:

• Have a demonstrated background in policy or social science research, and a demonstrated interest in the positive impacts of games, such as serious games, game-based learning, or sociological orientations to game communities.
• Excel at writing for mixed audiences, with particular preference given to candidates with background in writing academic and popular media (blog) styles.
• Be detail-oriented.
• Be able to work remotely.
• Be enrolled in a degree program, recently graduated (within the last year) and/or have been accepted to enter an advanced degree program within the next year.

This is an unpaid position available for 15-20 hours a week for undergraduate and graduate-level students. Applicants from any fields will be considered. Experience conducting cross and trans-disciplinary research is an asset