High school climate change internship and research fellowship
This high school climate change internship lets students in Grades 9 to 12 study climate science through data from their own city, with a mentor who checks each step. You track local heat, rainfall or air pollution records, link them to climate risks near home and write up what the data shows.
For school students taking IB ESS, geography or physics who want to understand climate change through real data from their own city. 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 climate science matters for sustainability
In a city, climate change shows up as hotter days and heavier bursts of rain. Climate scientists study how greenhouse gases trap heat and shift rainfall patterns. To see what this means for one place, they compare long weather records with what people notice on their own streets. The result tells a city which neighbourhoods face the most risk and where to act first.
Earth5R works on local climate action in 150+ Indian cities. It has worked with women in informal settlements to grow saplings on hot tin roofs to cool their homes, and its street hackathons invite citizens to propose climate solutions. One flagship FIELDWORK research project, with a NASA and Columbia University scientist, studies climate change and basmati rice across the Gangetic Plain. As a fellow you study climate risks near your own home with your mentor.
This work links to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 13, Climate action and Goal 11, Sustainable cities and communities.
Available projects in this high school climate change internship
Each project fits around school work and takes place near home. Your mentor shapes the final project with you.
Rooftop plants and indoor heat
Compare indoor temperatures under a roof with and without plants or shade above it, using a simple thermometer at the same times each day, at home or at school.
Heavy rain and flooding in your city
Use public rainfall records to check whether heavy rain days have changed over the years, and map the streets near home that flood, using news reports and family memories.
Air pollution and the seasons
Combine public air quality readings with weather data for your city, and test how pollution peaks relate to temperature, wind and the time of year.
Climate and rice farming
Use published studies and public weather data to explore how heat and rainfall affect rice crops, the theme of a flagship FIELDWORK project on basmati rice.
What you do in the field
- Download public weather, rainfall and air quality records for your city
- Record temperatures at home or school on a fixed routine
- Plot long-term trends in a spreadsheet
- Map the parts of your city most exposed to heat or flooding
- Read published climate studies and compare them with your results
- Discuss your findings in research conversations with professors
Skills you build
On a high school climate change 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 climate change internship fits your school programme
For IB, IGCSE, CBSE and ICSE students. Your school decides what counts towards its own requirements.
IB CAS
A heat or flooding study shared with your school or housing society, with simple steps people can take, can support a CAS project. Your CAS coordinator decides what fits.
Extended Essay and IA
A geography or ESS Extended Essay or Internal Assessment needs a focused question and data. Local climate records and your own temperature readings can give you both.
MYP, IGCSE and CBSE projects
A local climate data study can fit the MYP Personal Project and the project work in IGCSE, CBSE and ICSE geography or environmental studies.
University applications
An analysis of your own city’s climate data, reviewed by your mentor, gives you a specific project to describe in a personal statement for climate or earth sciences.
How the high school climate change 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 Climate Science.
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 Climate Science or Meteorology
- BSc in Environmental Science
- BSc in Geography or Earth Sciences
- BSc in Physics
- BSc in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
Careers in this field
- Climate scientist
- Climate risk analyst
- Meteorologist
- Urban climate resilience planner
- Sustainability and ESG analyst
Universities to aim for in Climate Science
Climate science admissions tutors look for students who can handle real data and explain the limits of what it shows. A high school climate change internship gives you a study of local heat or rainfall records that your mentor reviewed, with a verified record of the work on earth5r.org. Students use a high school climate change internship to build a record of real work for applications to universities like these.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
USA · Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences offers a BS with concentrations that include Climate, Atmospheres + Oceans and Environmental Science, plus a joint major in Climate System Science and Engineering. Many classes include field study. Climate research covers oceanography, glaciology, the carbon cycle and climate system modelling.
USA · Geosciences major, Department of Geosciences
Princeton’s Department of Geosciences runs an undergraduate major in which students choose upper-level electives in areas such as Ocean and Atmosphere and Climate Science. Juniors carry out research projects and seniors write a year-long thesis. The department also offers a Climate Science minor for students in other majors.
University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego)
USA · Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego offers undergraduate majors in Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Earth Sciences and Marine Biology. Its climate work includes the Keeling Curve, the global record of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and the Argo network of robotic floats that measure the changing ocean.
USA · Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science, College of the Environment
The University of Washington’s Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science, part of the College of the Environment, offers undergraduates a Climate Option, a Meteorology Option, an Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality Option and a Data Science Option. Its site also guides students to research and internship opportunities.
UK · Department of Meteorology
Reading’s Department of Meteorology teaches a BSc in Meteorology and Climate, with modules on climate change and atmosphere and ocean dynamics and a final-year research project. Students run experiments in fluid dynamics labs and an atmospheric observatory. Research covers climate change, ozone depletion, atmospheric pollution and space weather.
Switzerland · Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science (IAC), Department of Environmental Systems Science (D-USYS)
ETH’s Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science teaches in several Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes, mainly in the Department of Environmental Systems Science. It studies how changes in greenhouse gases, aerosols and land surfaces alter the climate, and how this affects water resources and extreme events.
University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney)
Australia · Climate Systems Science major, Climate Change Research Centre (CCRC)
UNSW’s Climate Change Research Centre teaches undergraduates through a Climate Systems Science major in the Bachelor of Science and the Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours). Courses taught by its staff include Introduction to Climate Change, Fundamentals of Atmospheric Science and Physical Oceanography.
UK · Climate Science BSc (Hons)
Durham’s Climate Science BSc begins with climate change, Earth processes and data analysis. Later modules cover isotopes and optional topics such as glaciers, the carbon cycle and past climate reconstruction, and the final year includes a dissertation on a climate science topic you choose.
Canada · Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
McGill’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences offers a BSc major in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and a joint programme with Physics, each with an Honours option. Students learn how weather and climate are predicted and study topics such as global warming, air quality and air-sea interactions.
This list is for guidance. These universities offer undergraduate study in Climate Science. 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 climate change internship: common questions
Do I need to be strong in physics or maths for this high school climate change internship?
School maths is enough to start. Your mentor shows you how to read climate records, plot trends and check whether a change is bigger than normal year-to-year variation. Students who know some coding can use Python for their analysis.
What will I do in the field?
Field work is simple and close to home. You might record indoor temperatures at the same times each day or note which nearby streets flood after heavy rain. Most of the analysis uses public weather and air quality records.
How does this fit with my child’s school subjects?
It uses ideas from geography, ESS and physics, such as the water cycle, the greenhouse effect and data handling. Students apply these ideas to records from their own city, which can help with topics they meet in class.
Is the high school climate change 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 climate change 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 Climate Science internship fellowship for university students.
Apply for a FIELDWORK fellowship in Climate Science
This high school climate change 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.
