Internships Powered by OpenSpace
OpenSpace is an open-source data visualization software designed to visualize the entire known universe and portray our ongoing efforts to investigate the cosmos. This open nature is at the heart of how we collaborate, grow, and invite new contributors. The software is used as the foundation for internship programs at museums, science centers, planetariums, and universities across the United States and Sweden. These partner institutions create their own internship opportunities using OpenSpace as a tool for learners to gain hands-on STEM skills relevant to their interests or field of study.
OpenSpace High School Internships
Teen scholars at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science add content to OpenSpace with Dr. Ka Chun Yu, Curator of Space Science.
Internships at the high level offer learners hands-on experience with STEM skills such as coding, scripting, video editing, and more. These internships help students learn how to communicate complex space science concepts effectively using OpenSpace’s powerful visualization tools.
OpenSpace Undergraduate and Graduate Internships
Partner institutions provide interns with career skills through engagement with data visualization and code development. Interns strengthen their problem-solving and engineering skills while working with space science data. Some internships focus on contributing to the software, while others work on projects relevant to their host institution (i.e. new constellation artwork for a university planetarium).
Project Examples
Each institution tailors projects to their program goals and student skill levels. Examples of OpenSpace-powered internship projects include:
High School Level
- Creating guided space tours using OpenSpace’s scripting engine
- Learning coding fundamentals in Lua or Python
- Developing content for planetarium shows or social media
Undergraduate and Graduate Level
- Writing or modifying code in C++ or Lua
- Integrating real scientific datasets, such as exoplanet catalogs or mission data
- Building tutorials, documentation, or teaching materials
- Contributing assets to the broader OpenSpace community
Interns are typically mentored by staff at hosting institutions, such as museums, planetariums, universities, research centers, etc. OpenSpace team members often collaborate with internship hosts by offering technical guidance, orientation resources, and opportunities for interns to share their work with our user community.
Interested in Using OpenSpace in Your Internship Program?
If you’re at a museum, university, or science organization interested in incorporating OpenSpace into your own internship program, we’re here to help. We can share sample project ideas, technical resources, and support materials to help you build a meaningful experience for your learners.
