2026 Water/Wastewater Engineering and Construction Internship

Organization

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Reference Code

HHS-IHS-2026-0001

How to Apply

To submit your application, scroll to the bottom of this opportunity and click APPLY.

A complete application consists of:

An application
Transcripts – Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts
A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
One educational or professional recommendation. Your application will be considered incomplete, and will not be reviewed until one recommendation is submitted.

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.

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Application Deadline

4/2/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Description

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

HHS Office and Location: HHS Office and Location: Multiple internship opportunities are available with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Indian Health Service (IHS), located in: Durango, Colorado, Fort Hall, Idaho, Sioux City, Iowa, Gallup, New Mexico, Sante Fe, New Mexico, Shiprock, New Mexico, Minot, North Dakota, Lawton, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Pierre, South Dakota, and Martin, South Dakota.

The mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.

The Indian Health Service (IHS) is an agency within the HHS that is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indian and Alaska Native people. The mission of the IHS is to raise the health status of the American Indian and Alaska Native people to the highest possible level. To carry out this mission, the IHS provides comprehensive primary health care and disease prevention services.

The Sanitation Facilities Construction Program is the environmental engineering component of the IHS health delivery system. To support the IHS mission, the Sanitation Facilities Construction Program provides technical and financial assistance to American Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages for cooperative development and construction of safe drinking water, wastewater, and solid waste systems and related support facilities.

Research Project: Want to have a positive impact on public health while collaborating in culturally and geographically diverse environments? The IHS Sanitation Facilities Construction Program is hosting undergraduate and graduate students studying civil or environmental engineering or a closely related engineering field for ORISE internships. The objective of this internship is to collaborate with IHS engineers on projects that serve American Indian homes with drinking water, wastewater, and solid waste disposal facilities. An interactive dashboard of current IHS Division of Sanitation Facilities Construction BIL/IIJA projects can be found at https://dsfc-ihs-gis.hub.arcgis.com/ and additional information on the IHS Division of Sanitation Facilities Construction program can be found at https://www.ihs.gov/dsfc/.

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, you will gain hands-on experience to support your academic and professional goals. You will engage in activities that include, but are not limited to:

Collaborating with engineers in planning, designing, preparing construction, and project documents
Observing the construction of drinking water, wastewater, and solid waste disposal facilities
Collecting and analyzing GIS data on water, wastewater and solid waste disposal facilities
Participating in meetings with tribal leaders, utility personnel, and customers
Collaborating with tribal governments and other federal, state, and local Agencies
Learning about the challenges tribal communities face in providing drinking water, wastewater, and solid waste services to American Indian homes
Establishing connections and long-term relationships with IHS staff
Enhance your preparedness for a STEM career in public service

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Melissa de Vera (melissa.devera@ihs.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the internship please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for 8 to 12 weeks but may be extended up to 16 weeks upon recommendation of HHS and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: The appointment is full time.

Participant Stipend: Stipend rates may vary based on numerous factors, including opportunity, location, education, and experience. If you are interviewed, you can inquire about the exact stipend rate at that time and if selected, your appointment offer will include the monthly stipend rate.

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.

ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and HHS. Participants do not become employees of HHS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

The successful applicant(s) will be required to comply with Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) requirements of the hosting facility, including but not limited to, COVID-19 requirements (e.g. facial covering, physical distancing, testing, vaccination).

Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email HHSrpp@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree in the one of the relevant fields.

Applicants must be returning to school for Fall 2026
A driver's license is required.
When evaluating applicants for this opportunity, the Indian Health Service will consider claims for Indian Preference made by the applicants. If you would like to be evaluated with consideration for Indian Preference, provide a completed copy of Form BIA-4432. Refer to BIA-4432 link: https://www.bia.gov/sites/default/files/dup/assets/public/raca/online_forms/pdf/1076-0160_INDIAN-PREF_Expires-10.31.24_508.pdf.

Please follow the following guidance when submitting the BIA-4432 form:

Download the BIA-4432 form
Completely fill the form out by typing in the answers
Save the form
Email the form (encryption is preferred) to HHSrpp@ORISE.org with Indian Preference Form-4432 in the Subject line

Point of Contact

Rachel

Eligibility Requirements

Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
Degree: Currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree or Master's Degree.
Minimum Overall GPA: 2.00
Discipline(s):
- Engineering (4 )
Age: Must be 18 years of age

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