The Apprenticeships in STEAM Exploration (ASE) program connects motivated high school students with mentors in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) pre-professional internships. The driving value behind the ASE program is that the interns should contribute to and learn from the mentor’s work.

Internships are four to eight week, part-time or full-time summer positions, designed by mentors themselves. These internships take place in the Portland and Corvallis areas, and historically Vancouver, Eugene, Bend, Klamath Falls, Colton, and McMinnville. Mentor organizations include universities, hospitals and research institutions and private companies. The application process is competitive, with more than 400 applicants each year for under 100 positions. ASE internships attract rising sophomores, juniors and seniors from throughout the Northwest, and roughly 70% of interns are from backgrounds historically excluded from the sciences. ASE interns have been listed on published research, helped to design and test commercial products and spent countless hours in the field and in the lab.

Browse 2026 Internship Positions in our Internship Catalog.

When: 8-10 weeks from mid-June to the end of August
Where: Companies across Oregon and Southwest Washington
Serving: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Service Area: Pacific Northwest
Topic: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)
Program Type: Part-to-full-time summer internship
Learning Stipend: $500-$1,500 depending on internship hours