High school biotechnology internship and research fellowship
This high school biotechnology internship lets students in Grades 9 to 12 study how microbes and bio-based materials can help with city waste, with a mentor who guides each step. You run safe trials on composting and biodegradation at home, read published research and compare the options for your own building or city.
For school students who enjoy IB Biology, ESS or life sciences and are curious about microbes, compost and materials that could replace plastic. Online, with field work near home and a parent or guardian present at every self-guided activity. The fellowship is paid because every student receives time and attention from senior researchers and leaders.
Why biotechnology matters for sustainability
Biotechnology uses living things, such as bacteria and fungi, to make or break down materials. In a compost bin, microbes turn food scraps into compost. In a sealed tank they can turn the same waste into biogas. Scientists are also testing microbes and enzymes that break down some plastics, and materials made from plants that could replace plastic. Each idea needs testing, because a wrapper labelled biodegradable may only break down in an industrial composting plant.
Earth5R sets up zero waste housing societies with composting units, including drum composters designed from reused industrial containers. It trains communities on waste segregation and composting. Its waste audits at lake, river and beach cleanups count the packaging that ends up in the open. As a fellow you study the biology behind composting and biodegradation near your home, with a mentor helping you design fair tests.
This work links to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 12, Responsible consumption and production and Goal 11, Sustainable cities and communities.
Available projects in this high school biotechnology internship
Each project fits around school work and takes place near home. Your mentor shapes the final project with you.
Microbes in a compost bin
Follow one batch of food scraps through a home or building compost bin, record temperature, moisture and smell each week, and link each stage to the microbes doing the work.
Testing biodegradable claims
Bury samples of packaging labelled biodegradable or compostable in pots of soil or home compost, photograph them every week and compare what you see with published research.
Plant-based alternatives to packaging
Count the plastic packaging your household uses in a week, pick the most common type and research which bio-based materials could replace it and what each one costs the environment.
Choosing a compost method for your building
Compare home composting, drum composters and biogas for the wet waste of your housing society, using interviews with neighbours and building staff and figures from published studies.
What you do in the field
- Set up simple, safe biodegradation trials in pots at home
- Track a compost batch with dated photos and a thermometer
- Read published research on microbes, enzymes and bio-based materials
- Talk to family, neighbours and building staff about their waste
- Compare options in a simple scoring table
- Present your results in a research conversation and answer questions
Skills you build
On a high school biotechnology internship, you collect your own data near home with a parent or guardian, using the Earth5R app and data forms. Earth5R checks the data on its platform before it goes into your project report.
How a high school biotechnology internship fits your school programme
For IB, IGCSE, CBSE and ICSE students. Your school decides what counts towards its own requirements.
IB CAS
Helping your building start composting and tracking the results can form a CAS project with a service element. Your CAS coordinator decides whether it qualifies.
Extended Essay and IA
A biodegradation trial gives you a clear question, a fair test and your own data. It can support a biology Extended Essay or IA, and your supervisor decides.
MYP, IGCSE and CBSE projects
A compost or biodegradation study can fit the MYP Personal Project and the project work in IGCSE, CBSE and ICSE biology, if your school approves it.
University applications
A verified record of a trial you designed and ran gives you a specific example of scientific thinking to write about in a personal statement.
How the high school biotechnology internship works
Every student moves through four phases. Your mentor checks each phase before you move on, and sessions pause during board exams.
Observe and Map
Go into the field near home, with a parent or guardian, and collect primary data for your project in Biotechnology.
Frame and Design
Find the root cause in your data and frame a problem worth solving, with your mentor.
Model
Build a working model, analysis or design for your solution, and test it.
Build and Deploy
Put your solution to work, measure the result and publish a verified record on earth5r.org.
Along the way you take part in research conversations with professors at MIT, Oxford, Cambridge, LSE and other universities, and ask your own questions. See how FIELDWORK works.
Where this can take you
University courses this leads to
- BSc in Biotechnology
- BSc in Microbiology
- BSc in Biochemistry
- BEng in Biochemical or Bioprocess Engineering
- BSc in Biological Sciences
Careers in this field
- Environmental biotechnologist
- Microbiologist
- Bioprocess scientist
- Researcher in bio-based materials
- Organic waste and composting specialist
Universities to aim for in Biotechnology
Biotechnology admissions tutors look for students who can design a fair test, record results with care and explain what the results mean. A high school biotechnology internship with FIELDWORK gives you a trial you ran, a report your mentor reviewed and a profile that admissions teams can check. Students use a high school biotechnology internship to build a record of real work for applications to universities like these.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
USA · Department of Biological Engineering (BE)
MIT’s Department of Biological Engineering teaches an undergraduate major in biological engineering and a biomedical engineering minor. Its research areas include Synthetic Biology, Microbiome Engineering and Infectious Disease, Plant and Agriculture, and Climate, Environment, and Toxicology.
USA · Department of Bioengineering
Stanford Bioengineering offers undergraduates a BS in Bioengineering and a BS in Biomedical Computation, with a coterminal option. Its research areas include synthetic biology, metabolic engineering and the microbiome. Faculty also work on agro-bio and planet health.
University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
USA · Department of Bioengineering
Berkeley Bioengineering runs an undergraduate programme, a minor and a joint major with materials science and engineering. Research areas include synthetic and systems biology and computational biology. Faculty and students apply this work to climate change, agriculture, environmental remediation and green manufacturing.
UK · Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CEB)
Cambridge’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology teaches undergraduates on its BA/MEng course and also runs master’s and PhD study. Its research groups cover biology, engineering, materials and sensor technologies, and the department describes its focus as innovations that drive sustainability and improve healthcare.
UK · Department of Life Sciences
Imperial’s Department of Life Sciences offers a Biotechnology BSc and a four-year Biotechnology MSci, with versions that add management or a language. Its research themes include Engineering Biology, Plant Sciences, and Ecology and Ecosystems.
University College London (UCL)
UK · UCL Biochemical Engineering
UCL Biochemical Engineering, part of the Faculty of Engineering, teaches a three-year BEng and a four-year MEng in Biochemical Engineering. Students learn how life sciences discoveries become products such as vaccines and medicines. One challenge the department names is sustainable chemicals that reduce reliance on petrochemicals.
UK · Biological Sciences (Biotechnology) BSc (Hons), School of Biological Sciences
Edinburgh’s School of Biological Sciences teaches a four-year BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences (Biotechnology). Students study microbial biotechnology, synthetic biology and how microorganisms interact with their environment. In the final year they carry out a research project in one of the School’s laboratories.
UK · BSc Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
Manchester’s BSc Biotechnology starts with a broad introduction to the biological sciences, including microbiology and molecular biology. Final-year units include Green Biotechnology and a research project. Students can also work with an outside organisation on sustainability problems through the University Living Lab.
Australia · Bachelor of Biotechnology
UQ’s three-year Bachelor of Biotechnology lets students choose specialist areas such as Agricultural, Molecular and Microbial, and Synthetic and Industrial biotechnology. The agricultural area links to food security, climate change and sustainability, and students can take an elective workplace placement.
This list is for guidance. These universities offer undergraduate study in Biotechnology. Earth5R has no admissions arrangement with them, and admission decisions rest with each university. Students get help researching universities, scholarships and applications, depending on the programme.
What your fellowship fee pays for
An internship fellowship at Earth5R is time and attention from senior researchers and leaders. Each part below takes staff time and resources that we set aside for every fellow.
Live mentoring with experts
One-to-one mentoring in most fellowships, with regular check-ins on your project.
Dialogues with global researchers
Academics from international universities and renowned scientists, who answer your questions and discuss your work.
Support in the field
Guidance while you collect data and work on your project in the field.
References for your next step
References when you apply for jobs, higher studies and research programmes.
Your work, hosted for life
Your work and data stay on Earth5R’s website and servers for life, where universities and employers can check them.
Time from senior people
Each fellow receives time and attention from senior researchers and leaders, set aside for them.
Fee details available on request.
Choose your fellowship
The Multi-Year Fellowship can run from Grade 9 to Grade 12, with more scope each year.
The fee pays for live mentoring, dialogues with global researchers, support in the field, references and lifelong hosting of your work. Fee details available on request.
High school biotechnology internship: common questions
Does my child need a lab for this high school biotechnology internship?
No. Trials use pots of soil, a home compost bin, a thermometer and a phone camera. There are no lab chemicals or cultures. Published research covers the molecular side, and your mentor helps design tests that give clear results with everyday things.
Is composting part of biotechnology?
Yes. Composting is a process run by bacteria and fungi, and the same ideas apply to fermentation and to waste treatment plants. Studying it shows you how microbes respond to oxygen, moisture and temperature, which is a good base for a biotechnology degree.
How long do the biodegradation trials take?
Most trials run for several weeks, with a short check and a photo each week. You can fit them around school work. Your mentor helps you plan the trial so you have enough results before your report is due.
Is the high school biotechnology internship paid?
Yes. FIELDWORK is a paid, mentored programme. The fee pays for live mentoring, dialogues with global researchers, support in the field, references and lifelong hosting of your work. Fee details are available on request.
Can my child do this high school biotechnology internship online?
Yes. Mentoring sessions run online, and field work takes place near where you live.
Is a parent or guardian present during field work?
Yes. A parent or guardian is present at every self-guided field activity. Online sessions are for students.
Does FIELDWORK pause during board exams?
Yes. Sessions pause during board exams, so the fellowship fits around school work.
What do students get at the end?
A certificate, a letter of recommendation, a project report and a verified profile on earth5r.org, where universities can check the work.
Related subjects for school students
Already at university? See the Biotechnology internship fellowship for university students.
Apply for a FIELDWORK fellowship in Biotechnology
This high school biotechnology internship is for students in Grades 9 to 12. Work on a live Earth5R project with a mentor, take part in research conversations with global researchers, and build a verified record of your work. Fee details available on request.
