The Akamai Internship Program, a cornerstone of the Akamai Workforce Initiative, is opening doors for college students from Hawaiʻi to explore career opportunities in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields while contributing to the state’s growing high-tech industry.
Applications for the summer 2025 session are now open, offering students a chance to earn course credits at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo while gaining hands-on experience at observatories, tech companies, and research facilities across Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, and the University of California, Santa Cruz. The program is open to students enrolled in any UH campus, as well as those that are from Hawaiʻi studying on the U.S. continent.
“The Akamai Program focuses on getting local students into local high-tech jobs—especially with astronomy and space employers. Many kamaʻāina (native-born) students study out of state for their undergraduate programs. The program gives them a connection with employers and they gain the skills, experience, and network to land a rewarding job at home,” said Lisa Hunter, director of the Akamai Workforce Initiative. “With a 25-year history, we now have hundreds of alumni employed across the islands.”
Stipends, mentor matching
The program runs from June 1 to August 8, 2025, offering interns a $4,400 stipend, housing (if needed), and travel support. Participants are matched with mentors in their field and complete a one-week preparatory course at UH Hilo before embarking on their projects. The summer culminates with a public symposium where interns present their work.
Local students needed
Akamai’s focus on local talent is clear: 80% of interns are either graduates of local high schools or are currently enrolled at a UH campus, and the program actively seeks to increase participation among underrepresented and underserved groups in STEM. To date, 37% of alumni are women, 23% are Native Hawaiian, and 47% are from underrepresented minority groups.
Led by the Institute for Scientist and Engineer Educators (ISEE) at the University of California Observatories in partnership with UH Hilo and the UH Institute for Astronomy (IfA), the program has supported more than 500 interns since its inception in 2003. Nearly 90% of alumni have continued their STEM studies or successfully transitioned into STEM careers, with many contributing directly to Hawaiʻi’s workforce.
STEM opportunities
Interns in recent years have been placed at many Hawaiʻi Island firms including Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope, Hawaiʻi Electric Light Company, Gemini North Observatory, Liquid Robotics, Smithsonian Submillimeter Array, Academia Sinica Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Subaru Telescope, IfA, U.S. Department of Agriculture and W. M. Keck Observatory.
Maui placements have included Air Force Research Laboratory, Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, KBR, Maui High Performance Computing Center, Pacific Disaster Center and Privateer Space.
Opportunities also extend to the University of California Observatories, where interns work on projects related to Hawaiʻi telescopes.
Akamai funders
Funded by organizations such as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the National Science Foundation, the Akamai Internship Program continues to serve as a vital pipeline for Hawaiʻi’s STEM workforce. Applications are due by February 7, 2025.
For more information visit the Akamai Workforce Initiative website.
