Description

PIPES provides paid summer internships for undergraduate students across multiple fields of study. The 10-week program runs from May 25 - July 31, 2026, and is hosted on Hawaii Island. It combines mentored learning, cohort activities, and community engagement. Throughout the summer, interns also build lasting connections across Hawaii, the Pacific, and beyond. At its core, PIPES strives to grow and invest in the next generation of aloha ina leaders through transformative, place-based learning, mentorship, and community partnerships.

Requirements

Applications will close on January 16th, 2026. 

Mission: "E mhuahua n moo ina"- growing generations of 'ina and people abundance

At PIPES, we believe that these four values and relationships are foundational to best practices for natural resource stewardship and management

• Naau, the connection to oneself, is located at the small intestines of the body, which Hawaiians believe to be the seat of thought, intellect, feeling, and affections; in essence the connection to ones self and life experiences. This is where we believe transformation begins.
• ina, the connection to place and space, encompasses land, waters, stars, rains and other elemental sources, and also refers to time, space, and tangible/intangible environments.
• Kaiulu, the connection to community, references the village and represents the reciprocity between an individual and the communities they serve and are a contributing member of.
• Kaao, the connection to data articulation, are essentially the tales, stories, and legends, representing thousands of years of data held in kilo (observation) by Hawaiian people in Hawaii.