HSBDC Scholar Internship Program

2026–2027 HSBDC Scholar Internship

Scholar Internship Pathway

HSBDC Scholar Internship is a four-month blended experiential-learning program for high school and CEGEP students. Participants attend weekly in-person university sessions and take online Cisco Networking Academy and Google classroom lessons.

They cover Data Science Essentials with Python course with industry-level certification, receive scholarly research mentorship and hands-on experience conducting an original open-data and AI research project in an agile team that leads to an academic conference and publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Build a university-ready research portfolio through data science, AI inquiry, scientific writing and academic presentation.

How the Scholar
Internship Pathway Works

1. Register

2. Certification

Complete Cisco Networking Academy Data Science Essentials with Python training and certification.

3. Research

Join mentor facilitated research teams and learn the fundamentals of agile research team work: defining the research topic connected to the annual HSBDC theme and developing the topic-related literature review.

4. Investigate

Conduct an original open-data and AI investigation, interpret patterns and develop evidence-based recommendations.

5. Present

Submit team project manuscript, digital poster, and 5-min YouTube research explanation, then prepare a physical poster and three-minute one-slide thesis presentation for an HSBDC conference.

Registration & Fee

It includes:

Cisco Academy Data Science Essentials with Python training and certification.

Weekly university‑level academic instruction in data science, AI inquiry, and scientific communication.

Mentored research ideation, literature review, open‑data search, analysis, and data visualization.

Scientific writing instruction with hands‑on manuscript development.

Experience working in an agile, interdisciplinary research team.

Access to open datasets and industry‑level tools used in the challenge.

Conference participation, including poster presentation and one-slide, three-minute thesis presentation for conference participation.

Scholarly abstract publication in conference proceedings

$980

per participant

*All prices are in Canadian dollars

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Scholar Internship, and what does the blended-learning format include?

Scholar Internship is a 80+ hour structured blended-learning experience that combines 40 hours of CISCO Academy Data Science Essentials (with Python certification) and 40+ hours of mentored open-data research. The program includes weekly university sessions, online CISCO lessons, recorded Google Classroom workshops, scholarly mentorship, and agile research teamwork.

2. How does the Scholar Internship differ from Independent Research?

Unlike self-directed independent research, Scholar Internship provides structured academic instruction, professional Cisco certification, active team coordination, and dedicated scholarly mentorship to guide you from data analysis to paper publication.

3. What makes this program valuable for a student’s academic portfolio?

Students earn a recognized data science credential, conduct original research, author an abstract with a DOI number, design a research poster, and present at an academic conference. This combination of analytical, teamwork, and scientific communication skills creates a standout portfolio for university applications.

4. What support is provided, and how much independent work is expected?

Mentors provide hands-on guidance in AI inquiry, research design, data analysis, and scientific writing. However, students are expected to actively contribute to their team’s research, project coordination, and final presentation preparation.

5. How are research teams formed?

Participants register individually and attend weekly sessions at local universities. At the end of the Data Science Fundamentals course, students are grouped into agile teams based on shared research interests to collaborate on an original project.

6. Will student work be published, and is full journal publication guaranteed?

Publication of the team’s research abstract in the STEM Fellowship Journal conference proceedings (with an official DOI number) is guaranteed for all student authors. Students wishing to publish a full manuscript can apply for the Journal’s separate peer-review process (additional editorial/publication fees apply).

7. Is conference attendance required?

Conference attendance is optional for abstract publication, but required if your team wishes to compete for awards and prizes.

8. What is the program fee, and what does it include?

The Scholar Internship fee is $980. It covers the CISCO Academy certification course, academic mentorship, data analysis instruction, conference participation costs, and the official DOI publication of your research abstract.

9. What will be covered during the live Q&A session?

The live Q&A will cover program delivery details, portfolio benefits, team matching, and answers to individual participant questions.

10. Where can I find general program policies and contact details?

You can review eligibility, award, and participation policies on our Program Details page. For further questions, contact us at bigdata@stemfellowship.org.