STEM students take note: applications are now being accepted for the Akamai Internship Program.
It's part of the Akamai Workforce Initiative, a workforce development effort, “expanding opportunities for college students from Hawai‘i to gain hands-on experience in science, engineering and technology careers.”
The internship program is led by the Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators at the University of California Observatories, in partnership with the University of Hawai‘i.
“Since 2003, I’ve seen how transformative it is when students from Hawai‘i are invited into environments where their ideas matter,” ISEE Director Lisa Hunter said in an announcement Wednesday. “The Akamai Internship Program opens doors that many students don’t realize are within reach, and each new cohort reminds us how much potential exists when we invest in local talent that strengthens our technical community and contributes to innovation across our observatories and high-tech employers.”
Interns will be placed at Hawai‘i observatories and other STEM ( science, technology, engineering and mathematics) industries in the Islands during the course of the summer program, its website notes. Placements are available for students from community colleges and four-year universities from a wide range of STEM majors.
A list of possible 2026 internship sites can be found here.
According to the site, the summer program includes a $4,600 stipend; housing, if needed; travel from your home island paid by the program; and assistance with ground transportation at the internship site. Find more information here.
An announcement Wednesday from the University of California Observatories and Maunakea Observatories noted that the program supported 33 students in 2025, each matched with a Hawai‘i-based observatory for an “intensive summer internship.” Fifteen were placed at Mauankea Observatories, a group of 10 independent institutions with telescopes atop Mauna Kea on Hawai‘i Island.
“Through meaningful project work, one-on-one mentorship, communication skill-building and a final technical presentation, Akamai helps students build clear pathways into high-quality STEM careers, a commitment demonstrated by alumni who return to mentor students and illustrate how participants become the next generation of leaders and mentors within Hawai‘i,” the announcement states.
Applications for the 2026 cohort are open now and close Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. Applicants must either student in Hawai‘i or be from the state. The program will run from June 1 to Aug. 7, 2026, the site states. You can apply online here.
According to the announcement, the Akamai Internship Program currently is funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the National Science Foundation and University of California Observatories.
Akamai has nearly 600 alumni to date since its start in 2003, the site notes.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
