Students speak out about canceled internships, research opportunities

By Ramya Motati and Hope Yang     4/8/25 11:39pm

Ian Chen, a biosciences and mathematics major, applied to a computational biology lab through the National Institutes of Health Summer Internship Program. Like many students, Chen was looking for professional experience over the summer. He then heard the program was paused in light of the funding cuts, then entirely axed.

“The timing was pretty poor, because by the time it fully got canceled, a lot of opportunity deadlines had already passed,” said Chen, a McMurtry College freshman.

President Donald Trump’s executive orders, including a federal hiring freeze and funding cuts, have led to lost internship, research and creative opportunities for students. 

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Chen said that he was uncertain about his future in research due to the funding cuts.

“As a freshman, I feel like I don’t have too much experience working in the lab,” Chen said. “It would’ve been a really nice opportunity to get a foot in and get going. Seeing the state of the NIH, the future seems that much [more] ambiguous, that much more uncertain and that much closer to falling apart.” 

Lorena Ferguson, a graduate student of psychology, said that the layoffs have led to the loss of governmental positions, caps on hiring capacity and the restriction of some roles to those who possess an MD. She said that she no longer feels comfortable working in many of these positions.

“I had been considering a career in research administration at NIH, National Institute on Aging and National Science Foundation, etc.,” Ferguson wrote in an email to the Thresher. “The massive government layoffs mean that many incredible scientists are now on the job market, making job hunting even more competitive. I’m graduating this May, and am concerned about finding a job before then.”

Ferguson said that the research landscape has changed as a result of the funding cuts and research censorship. 

“There is a lot of important research going on at Rice that may be — or already is — at risk,” Ferguson wrote. “This includes areas such as climate change, aging & dementian and public health. It’s hard to say what the future will bring.”

Jaylin Vinson, a composition major, said he applied to the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Emerging Black Composers Project, which was paused.

“With this project not necessarily aligning with some of the ordinances from the [Trump] administration, they got legal advice to postpone the project,” said Vinson, a Sid Richardson College senior.

Vinson said that he felt uneasy about what he called censorship of artists’ creative liberties.

“A lot of the projects I pursue talk about my own cultural heritage, and … essentially it feels like me talking about that is contraband,” Vinson said. “The truth is that a lot of being an artist is that you’re reliant on institutions as fiscal sponsors or as literal venues for your art to take place. 

“Now that those institutions are backing away from the values and commitments to which your work is dependent on and committed to, it feels unsettling,” Vinson continued.

Internships in tech and finance have also decreased due to companies either reducing or cutting opportunities in light of funding cuts. 

Victoria Liu, a computer science and cognitive sciences student, said the hiring freeze may have affected a data science fellowship opportunity she applied for that was partnered with various government agencies. 

“With the semi-recent hiring freezes … I could see how that might have impacted the hiring capacities of the partners,” said Liu, a Duncan College sophomore. “[The company] actually addressed it in an email, saying that they were directly working with their partners to accommodate for these recent government changes.”

Liu had already found an internship by the time she received the email. She added that some of her friends were able to find summer opportunities in tech. 

Nicole Van Den Heuvel, the executive director of the Center for Career Development, said the current presidential administration will not affect the services that the CCD offers. 

“We try to support students and those who work with students in the best ways possible with up-to-date information,” Van Den Heuvel said. 

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