Chemical Engineering Experience in Research (ChEER) for Youth Interns
About the ChEER Internship Program
This program is open to high school students, ages 15-18, who have not yet earned a high school diploma and are interested in learning about chemical engineering and gaining experience in a research lab setting. Parental consent is required.
2026 Program Dates: June 23 - July 17, 2026
Schedule: 4 hours/day, Monday-Friday (20 hours/week)
Location: University of Kansas, Engineering Building LEEP2, 1536 W. 15th Street, Lawrence, KS, 66045
Students interested in applying for a summer ChEER internship are encouraged to apply online. Applications open in the spring.
If you have any questions about participating in ChEER, then please contact Lacee Roe at LaceeR@ku.edu.
Youth interns conduct cutting edge research under the guidance of a graduate student or post-doctoral researcher in one of the Chemical Engineering laboratories at the University of Kansas. They will participate in research team meetings and learn the skills of science and engineering, including analyzing and presenting their own data. The lead professors will assign students to projects.
Benefits include:
- Hands-on experience in state-of-the-art labs
- Professional Development
- One-on-one Mentorship
- Safety Training
- Team Research
- Job Shadowing
*Note: This is an unpaid internship for students living locally.
No. This is an unpaid internship for students living locally. Housing and board are not provided by KU. Intern families are responsible for transportation to and from campus.
If you are looking for an overnight camp program instead of an internship, then please reach out to engrsummercamp@ku.edu to learn more about summer camp opportunities for high schoolers available through the KU School of Engineering.
List of 2026 Research Projects:
Sustainable Polymers, led by Dr. Alan Allgeier
Description: The prevalence of single-use plastics and the lack of a closed loop system to recover waste plastics represents a grave challenge to our society. We envision a future for plastics that are designed to degrade in the environment after their service life. This is a challenge. Don’t we all love plastics because they are rugged and easy to use? Can we make degradable polymers that offer the performance of petroleum derived polymers like polyethylene and polyester? We seek solutions that start out with assurance of degradability, but may come up short on performance metrics like water and oxygen permeation. Using polysaccharides as building blocks (think of corn starch) we generate modified materials that can be valuable in industrial applications like packaging film or formulation additives. Some researchers in the Allgeier Group focus on making novel materials while other focus on characterizing materials using the tools of chemistry and physics. Dr. Allgeier has promoted the use of low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF NMR) for characterizing polysaccharides.Relatively inexpensive benchtop LF NMR instruments are easy to use and provide results in less than 10 minutes, compared to some techniques that take hours. Coupling these novel characterization methods to advances in polymer chemistry that enable consumer product applications will take us a step closer to a sustainable polymer industry.
PDMS Membranes for Refrigerant Separation, led by Dr. Mark Shiflett
Description: The recovery and recycling of refrigerants is becoming increasingly important as industries work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve sustainability. Membrane technology offers a promising, energy-efficient alternative to conventional refrigerant separation processes. This project focuses on the development and characterization of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes for refrigerant separation. Students will learn the fundamentals of membrane science, polymer materials, and gas separation processes. Research activities include membrane fabrication, gas permeation testing, data analysis, and interpretation of experimental results. Students will gain hands-on laboratory experience and develop skills in scientific communication while contributing to sustainable refrigerant recovery technologies.
Please check this page for updates in the spring or contact Lacee Roe at LaceeR@ku.edu to receive a printable flyer that you can share at your school or youth group.