If you are thinking about careers related to climate, sustainability, or public policy, environmental science is a field you will keep coming back to. Starting early through a structured program can give you a clearer direction.
Environmental science programs introduce you to how the field works in practice. You might study ecosystems, track environmental data, or look at how policies are designed to manage issues like pollution or resource use. Some programs include fieldwork, others focus on data and analysis, but the goal is the same: to help you understand how decisions are made using evidence and research.
Why should you choose a program in NYC?
NYC offers access to a wide range of environmental learning opportunities through its parks, rivers, research centers, and universities. You can study both natural ecosystems and urban environmental systems within the same region, which gives you a broader perspective.
These programs also connect you to organizations and institutions working on real environmental challenges. This makes it easier to see how the subject is applied beyond school while building experiences that strengthen your college applications and future academic plans.
With that, here are 15 environmental science programs for high school students in NYC! If you’re interested in exploring opportunities in the field of environmental science, here is our guide to 15 environmental science internships for high school students.
15 Environmental Science Programs for High School Students in NYC
1. RISE Rockaway Environmentor
Location: RISE, Far Rockaway, NYC
Cost/Stipend: Free/Up to a $1,200 stipend is paid
Dates: June through mid-August
Application Deadline: Applications open in March
Eligibility: 9th-11th-grade NYC high school students residing in or around the Rockaway Peninsula
RISE Rockaway Environmentor is a research mentorship program for high school students. You’ll participate in orientations, attend workshops, and work on individual science research projects while receiving guidance and support from science mentors. The projects will be focused on the Rockaway shoreline, engaging in a range of activities outside of research, including kayaking, surfing, biking, learning CPR, and water safety. You’ll also participate in community service events on weekends and earn community service hours. Some of the summer projects completed by past participants include Flooding From the Bay, Characterizing Seabeach Amaranth, Species Interactions in a Restored Salt Marsh Ecosystem in Jamaica Bay, and Daily Activities and CO2, VOC, and PM2.5 Levels. The program offers a paid learning opportunity and allows you to conduct authentic research.
2. Project TRUE (Teens Researching Urban Ecology) — Wildlife Conservation Society / Bronx Zoo
Location: Wildlife Conservation Society — Bronx Zoo, Bronx, NYC
Cost/Stipend: Free | For Summer: $750 stipend or an NYC hourly minimum wage through SYEP is paid | For Fall: $350 stipend
Dates: June – August
Application Deadline: Late February
Eligibility: High school juniors and sophomores who are residents of the Bronx
Project TRUE is a research and youth development program, run in partnership with Fordham University, that introduces students to urban ecology through fieldwork and mentorship. You’ll research wildlife and ecosystems while working with scientists and educators. The program includes data collection, analysis, and science communication activities. You’ll work in outdoor environments such as parks and the Bronx Zoo. The structure emphasizes hands-on research and mentorship. By the end, you’ll present your findings to scientific and public audiences.
3. Student Urban Nature (SUN) High School Internship — Natural Areas Conservancy
Location: Natural Areas Conservancy — Forest Park (Queens) & The Greenbelt (Staten Island), NYC
Cost/Stipend: Free | A stipend of $16.50/hr is paid
Dates: Six-week summer internship (July–August)
Application Deadline: Typically late January
Eligibility: Rising juniors or seniors residing and attending high school near the internship sites
Student Urban Nature (SUN) High School Internship- Natural Areas Conservancy is a paid learning opportunity for high school students. You’ll be placed in natural areas and city parks in New York and gain knowledge about urban ecosystems while receiving guidance from experienced scientists, engage in data collection and field-related work, and prepare a research project. You’ll develop a range of skills, including the measurement of environmental conditions, identification of flora and fauna species, and professional development. The program will allow you to attend writing sessions and present your project findings to the general public on program completion.
4. Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Internship Program
Location: Multiple, including NYC. More information here
Cost/Stipend: Free | $3,000 stipend is paid
Dates: 8 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: January 19 (tentative, based on previous years)
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors or college freshmen; Minimum age: 16 years
Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Internship is an eight-week paid learning opportunity for high school students. You’ll explore fisheries and aquatic sciences through guidance from experienced fisheries professionals. You’ll experience life as a fisheries scientist, engage in solving real-world environmental challenges, and learn about marine conservation. You’ll have the opportunity to work with a broad range of organizations at different locations, including laboratories, boats, fields, and more. You’ll participate in a range of activities through the program, including specimen examination via microscopes, electrofishing, data processing, water quality testing, assisting with children’s education programs, snorkeling, and more. The program schedule involves 32 hours of work per week and a total of 256 hours of work through the program.
5. Wave Hill Forest Project
Location: Wave Hill, Bronx, NYC
Cost/Stipend: Free | $2,275 stipend is paid
Dates: July 7 – August 15
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: 16+ high school students in New York City who are eligible to work in the U.S.
The Wave Hill Forest Project is a paid summer internship opportunity for high school students. You’ll gain in-depth knowledge about ecology in an urban environment, participate in hands-on field activities, and engage in field-based coursework, including group projects, data collection, and research. You’ll learn from the Wave Hill Staff and explore a range of field experiences, including the removal of invasive plant species, building and maintenance of woodland trails, shoring up eroded slopes, and contributing to the process of restoration. The program also offers field trips to partner organisations where you’ll have the opportunity to interact with peers sharing similar interests and engage in discussions, participate in adventure activities, and explore research topics.
6. NYU Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE)
Location: New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NYC
Cost/Stipend: Free | $2000 stipend is paid upon completion
Dates: June 1 – August 14
Application Deadline: February 27
Eligibility: Current NYC 10th-11th-grade students
NYU’s ARISE Program is a research-focused experience that introduces students to STEM fields through lab work and mentorship. You’ll work in research labs on projects related to environmental science and engineering. The program includes training, lab placements, and workshops that build technical and research skills. You’ll gain around 150 hours of lab experience while working with faculty and researchers. The structure combines training with applied research. By the end, you’ll develop practical research experience.
7. Woodland Ecology Research Mentorship (WERM)
Location: Wave Hill, Bronx, NYC
Cost/Stipend: Free | $3,500 stipend is paid
Dates: Starts in July (Typically July–August)
Application Deadline: Typically in February
Eligibility: NYC high school students | Minimum age: 15 years | Must be authorised to work in the U.S.
The Woodland Ecology Research Mentorship (WERM) at Wave Hill runs over 14 months, which means you stay with the program long enough to actually grow into the work. You begin with structured coursework, where you study topics like restoration of New York City’s natural areas and learn how GIS is used to map urban environments. Alongside that, you spend time outdoors doing fieldwork, observing ecosystems, and understanding how data is collected in real conditions. As you move into later phases, your focus shifts toward research methods, where you design and carry out your own independent project with guidance from mentors.
8. NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) Internship (CCRI)
Location: NASA GISS, Morningside Heights, Manhattan, NYC
Cost/Stipend: Free | A stipend is paid
Dates: 6 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: February 28 (tentative, based on previous years)
Eligibility: High school students who are US citizens
The NASA GISS internship places you in a research environment where you work directly with scientists studying Earth’s climate systems. Over six weeks, you take part in projects that have included analyzing urban heat patterns, studying extreme climate events, and using satellite data to observe environmental changes. You spend your time working through models, interpreting data, and understanding how observations from space are turned into usable research. The work is structured but requires you to think through each step, especially when connecting data to real-world conditions. As you move forward, you begin to see how climate science operates at a level where multiple systems interact at once.
9. HIRES Summer Internship
Location: The Grove School of Engineering, NYC
Cost/Stipend: Free | $1000 stipend is paid
Dates: July through August
Application Deadline: Typically in January
Eligibility: NYC high school students
The HIRES internship at the Grove School of Engineering places you in a research-focused setting where you work on projects tied to real environmental and engineering questions. You attend workshops and spend time developing communication skills, but most of your learning comes from the projects themselves. Past work has included studying lake temperature changes through remote sensing, measuring pollution at a microscale, and building weather stations across New York City. You move between data analysis, technical work, and problem-solving depending on the project. Throughout the program, you also interact with faculty and mentors, which gives you a closer look at how research is carried out in a university environment. You’ll also receive 3 college credits.
10. Lehman College – STEM Research Academy
Location: Lehman College, Bronx, NYC
Cost: Free
Dates: Spring: February 11 – May 20 | Summer: July 1 – August 13
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: 10th or 11th-grade NYC public high school students. More information here
Lehman College’s STEM Research Academy begins with a spring course where you study scientific research in a structured way and earn academic credit. Once you complete that phase, you move into the summer program, where the focus shifts toward hands-on research. You choose between environmental science and biomedical science, which determines the type of work you take on. From there, you spend your time working on experiments, understanding research methods, and building your knowledge step by step.
11. New York Botanical Garden High School Explainer Program
Location: New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free (Intern Explainer tier) | Advanced and Master Explainer tiers are paid through a NYC City Council grant
Dates: Fall session (Mid-September – January) | Spring session also available
Application Deadline: April 22 (Fall session)
Eligibility: High school students
The New York Botanical Garden High School Explainer Program is a competitive, tiered internship for high school students focused on plant science, ecology, and environmental education. As an Intern Explainer, you’ll commit to a minimum of 125 volunteer hours, which includes orientation, four mandatory training days, and weekend shifts in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. You’ll conduct citizen science phenophase research in the Thain Family Forest, collecting data on specific plant species in small groups and preparing a final presentation to be showcased to the public at the end of the internship. You’ll attend seminars on environmental education, botany basics, climate literacy, horticulture, and career development, and develop public communication skills by facilitating science activity stations for children and families. OMNY cards can be provided to cover transportation costs to and from the Garden.
12. Growing Justice — Queens Botanical Garden
Location: Queens Botanical Garden, Flushing, Queens, NYC
Cost/Stipend: Free | May be paid through SYEP, Work Learn and Grow, or CTE school funds | Optional 6-week paid SYEP extension available in July–August
Dates: October – June (9 months) | Optional SYEP extension: July – August (25 hours/week)
Application Deadline: Rolling basis; applications typically close in early October
Eligibility: High school students who live or attend school in Flushing or Corona, Queens
Growing Justice is a year-round sustainable urban farming and environmental justice internship for high school students at Queens Botanical Garden. You’ll join a cohort of approximately 30 students, the Growing Justice Squad, and gain hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture, food justice, youth leadership, and workforce readiness across three skill areas. You’ll attend weekly workshops every Tuesday afternoon, engaging with topics such as composting, permaculture, native plants and pollinators, indigenous farming practices, food policy, and the connections between climate change and food insecurity. You’ll grow and harvest fruits and vegetables on QBG’s one-acre farm, run the weekend Farm Stand, deliver peer education workshops, and meet with local elected officials to advocate for food justice in your community.
13. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s Secondary School Field Research Program (SSFRP)
Location: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and The Piermont Marsh in New York, NY
Cost: Free
Dates: Six weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: March 2
Eligibility: High school students (Minimum age: 16 years)
Lamont-Doherty’s SSFRP places you in a wetland research environment where you work on a project connected to ecological and physical systems. You spend your time collecting samples, running lab experiments, and working through data alongside other students and mentors. The topics vary, from carbon sequestration to invasive plant management and soil-based energy systems, but the structure stays focused on real research work. You also take part in readings and discussions that help you understand the science behind what you are doing. As your project develops, you organize your findings and prepare a research poster, which you present at the end-of-program symposium.
14. Terp Young Scholars Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,420
Dates: July 13 – 31
Application Deadline: June 1
Eligibility: Rising grade 10th to graduating grade 12th students
The Terp Young Scholars Program runs over three weeks, where you take a university-level course and earn academic credit while still in high school. You attend classes, complete assignments, and work on projects that follow the structure of college coursework. The program offers a range of subjects, including areas like AI for environmental good, climate science, and sustainability-focused topics. You spend your time working through material in a more independent way, which feels different from school. As the course progresses, you begin to adjust to the pace and expectations that come with university-level study.
15. SEAQuest: Critters, Coral, and Conservation
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,100
Dates: July 6 – 24
Application Deadline: Varies. More information here.
Eligibility: High school students
SEAQuest runs as a three-week program where you focus on environmental communication alongside marine science. You study research related to the Pacific Ocean while also working on how that information is explained to a broader audience. A large part of your time goes into translating scientific papers into formats like articles, podcasts, or videos, which forces you to think carefully about clarity and accuracy. You also take part in discussions, peer reviews, and sessions with experts, which help refine your work. Over time, you begin to see how science moves beyond research papers and into public understanding.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image source: Wave Hill Project