Preparing for Your Internship

Before the end of fall term, you will be prompted to complete the following:

• • Complete the online acknowledgment form.
  • Complete their I-9 form with the Student Employment Office.
  • Review the TimesheetX training information, including the training videos for the timesheet submission process.
  • Contact your research mentor before the end of fall term to set up a meeting for the first week of winter term.
  • Find out whether you need to complete any training sessions or online modules (you should receive an email indicating trainings that your faculty mentor requires). These should be completed during the first week of winter term (see below). Trainings may include:
    • Environmental Health and Safety (EHS)
    • Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects
    • Committee for Protection of Animal Welfare
    • Responsible Conduct of Research

Beginning in academic year 2023-24, the first week of the WISP internship will be dedicated to trainings and orientation. Because interns may submit a maximum of 10 hours per week on their timesheets, they should allocate their hours as follows:

• 1 hour for the mandatory WISP orientation (January 4, 5-6PM)
• 1-2 hours to meet with faculty mentor to develop a schedule for the term, tour research space, meet labmates, etc.
• Remaining hours for trainings as directed by faculty mentor

Why this change?

The first week of winter term goes by very quickly and we find that interns rarely log more than a couple of hours in the lab as they orient themselves to the new position. Additionally, some students must verify their work eligibility on campus after the break. By dedicating the first week of the internship to orientations and training, our hope is that interns can focus on getting prepared to dig into the research during week two of the term.

Any work done in relation to your project or assigned by your faculty mentor is considered a work hour, including:

• Training modules or readings assigned by your mentor
• The WISP orientation session held during the first week of winter term
• Meetings with your faculty mentor or your primary contact in the lab

Please keep in mind that you may only work 6-10 hours to week for your internship; if you are in danger of working more than this, please touch base with your mentor.

It's also important to remember that you cannot be paid for work done before the start of winter term, during spring break, or after the final day of spring classes. Again, if you have been assigned work during these times, please discuss with your mentor how to complete them within the term.

WISP interns are paid an hourly wage of $16.25 per hour for 6-10 hours per week (maximum 100 hours per term). Interns are paid biweekly and paychecks are distributed the Friday after the pay period end date.

Interns must record hours in the TimesheetX timesheet system every day they work. It's a good practice to submit your hours immediately after finishing a shift. 

Time reporting should be the exact time the employee began and ended working and is a legal record of the employee's time. All time is required to be reported by 11:59PM on Saturday at the end of the pay period.

Some short training modules for submitting your timesheet and making corrections can be found here.

• ​​​​​​​Track hours worked and submit biweekly timesheets in the online Kronos system.
• Set up a regular weekly work schedule with your research mentor and stick to the schedule, if possible.
• Be on time and notify your mentor when you will be late or absent.
• Know who your "point of contact" is when your primary research mentor is unavailable.
• Get actively involved right away. Learn everyone's name in your lab or internship setting. Ask people what they would prefer to be called.
• Ask your mentor to clearly state their expectations for you. Tell your mentor about your goals and expectations.
• Find out what your role and responsibilities will be as part of the research team but keep in mind that these may change over time.
• Ask for an overview of the "big picture" to understand the context of the research work. Ask for direction to start some tasks.
• Ask as many questions as you need to. Keep your own notes and explanations in a notebook.
• Maintain consistent communication with your research mentor(s) and ask for feedback.
• Monitor communications from WISP, attend mandatory meetings, and adhere to deadlines.
• Notify WISP promptly if issues arise with your internship.
• Prior to spring term, set up a new work schedule based on your new availability and your mentor's.
• Present a poster at the Wetterhahn Science Symposium in May (watch for relevant deadlines).

After completing your internship, consider applying for funding to continue your research through WISP Sophomore Scholarships, Undergraduate Research Assistantships at Dartmouth (URAD), or these other research opportunities.