Student Mentoring and Research Training (SMaRT) Internship
The University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII) recruits the nation’s best and brightest undergraduates for its Student Mentoring and Research Training (SMaRT) internship program.
For 10 weeks each summer, UT-ORII’s SMaRT interns gain firsthand research experience working alongside researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and UT.
A growing number of UT-ORII’s SMaRT interns love their experience so much that they return to UT for graduate school and several participate in SMaRT now as graduate student mentors.
UT-ORII will accept applications for its 2025 SMaRT summer program starting in Fall 2024. Rising college sophomores, juniors and seniors are eligible to apply. For more information and updates on UT-ORII’s 2025 SMaRT program and application deadlines, please email us at oriismart@utk.edu.
TEAm science experience
Our interdisciplinary atmosphere gives interns a “team science” experience, an increasingly important platform for research.
UT and ORNL researchers serve as mentors to interns throughout the summer. Graduate students work daily with the interns, sharing their own graduate school experiences to help interns better understand and evaluate their future career options in academia, national laboratories and the industries of the future.
Interns prepare CVs and personal statements for future opportunities, as well as short research presentations and scientific posters that can be presented at conferences. These experiences help prepare interns for exciting and rewarding careers.
Stipends, Housing and Travel
- Stipend of $694 per week
- Single-room on-campus housing at UT Knoxville
- Up to $1,000 for travel if traveling from 50+ miles away
How to Apply
Applications for the 2025 SMaRT internship will open Fall 2024. Interested applicants will be asked to submit the following:
- A statement of interest
- An updated resume
- An unofficial copy of your current transcript
- Two letters of recommendation
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Internships are expected to be awarded in March or April 2025.
“Exploration is the best way to find yourself and the SMaRT program is a great way to grow personally, professionally and in general.”
Esther A.
2023 SMaRT Intern, Mercer University
The SMaRT program focuses on four interdisciplinary areas*:
- Electrochemical energy systems
- Advanced science and engineering of materials and manufacturing
- Predictive systems biology for circular and sustainable economies
- Autonomous, smart, secure and resilient energy systems
*Data science and engineering threads will be woven through each of these four areas.