Build a STEM Case Study in Google Sites

Create a recruiter-ready STEM project case study in Google Sites.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

Recruiters often scan a portfolio before deciding whether to start a conversation. A strong work sample gives them enough context to understand your individual value.

In this project, you will turn one safe STEM work sample into a one-page internship portfolio using Google Sites. You will publish a tested link that gives recruiters a clear reason to continue the conversation.

What You'll Build

Your live page gives a recruiter a quick view of the STEM problem you solved through clear evidence of your personal contribution.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A recruiter-focused opening that names your internship direction. A real project image gives immediate evidence of your work.
A compact project case study that traces the work from its challenge through your contribution to the result. A short reflection shows what you would improve next.
A tested portfolio link with recruiter-appropriate access. Image descriptions support accessibility. A professional contact route makes follow-up easy.
Secret Mission: Deliver a concise 60-second walkthrough using your live portfolio to explain your target role, challenge, personal contribution, and result.

Are there any prerequisites?

You need a Google Account. Bring one coursework, research, or personal project that you have permission to show.

Before We Start

Before the hands-on work begins, lock in the work sample you want to showcase and the internship direction it supports. This keeps your portfolio focused while confirming that you have permission to publish every included detail.

Set Up a Recruiter-Safe Site

A recruiter-facing page only earns trust when every visible detail is yours to share. Restricted material can undermine a polished application in seconds.

Your confirmed Google Account gives you access to Google Sites, where your case study will live. This step creates a named blank site plus one sanitized project image.

In this step, get ready to:

Create a blank one-page site with clear working names.
Audit your selected work sample for material that recruiters should not see.
Prepare one sanitized project image in a supported format.

Create and name your blank site

Google Sites keeps the Site document name visible only to you as the owner. The page title appears on the page itself.

Visit Google Sites in your browser.
Sign in to the confirmed Google Account when prompted.
Click Blank to create the site.
Select Site document name at the top left of the editor.
Enter your name STEM portfolio as the owner-facing name.
Select the page title area on the canvas.
Enter your STEM project portfolio as the working page title.

Good progress. Your blank site now has a clear identity in the editor plus a visible title on the canvas.

Can't create the blank site?

Confirm that your browser is signed in to the Google Account you selected for this project. Refresh Google Sites after switching accounts.

If the editor still does not open, help me troubleshoot access to the Google Sites editor.

Audit every visible detail

Permission to share the work sample gives you a safe starting point. A single screenshot can still expose details that were hidden elsewhere in the project.

Return to the work sample you selected before this step.
Check every visible name or personal identifier.
Check for grades or assessment-restricted material.
Check for unpublished research or confidential project details.
Check for private data within tables or screenshots.
Check for employer-owned information or branding that you cannot publish.
Check whether any visible element was created by a teammate.
Identify every area that needs removal from the recruiter-facing image.

You now have a clear boundary between useful evidence and material that must stay private.

Prepare one sanitized project image

A strong project image shows the output or process without making the recruiter decode the whole assignment. Google Sites accepts images in .png, .jpg, or .gif format.

Choose one view that best demonstrates the output or process behind your work.
Create a copy with the export or screenshot controls in the app that contains your work.
Crop the copy so the relevant evidence fills most of the frame.
Remove every unsafe area identified during your audit.
Save the sanitized copy in .png, .jpg, or .gif format.
Reopen the saved image at its normal viewing size.
Inspect the edges for cropped names or private details that remain visible.
Confirm that the project evidence is readable without opening the original work sample.

You should see one clean image that communicates real project evidence without revealing restricted or unapproved material.

Choose Proof Over Decoration

Use the image that gives a recruiter the clearest evidence of what you produced or investigated. A readable result carries more weight than a decorative project graphic.

Does Sanitizing Hide the Evidence?

Choose another view from the same approved work sample if cropping removes the important result. A process image can work when the final output contains details you cannot safely show.

If you are unsure what to keep, help me choose a safe project image.

Before the final check, where do you expect the owner-facing name and portfolio page title to appear? Hold that prediction while you return to the editor.

Return to the Google Sites editor from earlier.
Confirm that Site document name at the top left matches your name STEM portfolio.
Confirm that the title on the canvas matches your STEM project portfolio.

You will see your site document name at the top left plus your portfolio page title on the canvas. That confirms your one-page site is ready for recruiter-facing evidence.

Your portfolio now has a safe foundation plus a sanitized image ready to upload. Next, you will turn the first screen into immediate proof of your internship value.

Make the First Screen Prove Something

Your blank Google Sites draft is open with a clear name. Your sanitized image is ready to become the first proof a recruiter sees.

The first screen needs to show your internship direction quickly. It also needs visible evidence that your work is real.

In this step, get ready to:

Write a headline that connects your name to your target internship direction.
Add your sanitized project image with a clear project name and description.
Preview the opening in wide and narrow layouts.

Write an evidence-led headline

A useful headline connects your identity to the internship direction you want. Its value statement names skills you genuinely used in the work sample.

Select the current portfolio page title on the canvas.
Replace it with your name | target internship direction | skills-grounded value statement.

You should see your name at the top of the page. The same headline should make your internship direction clear.

Why ground the statement in real skills?

A skill is credible when the project evidence can support it. Use skills that appear in your methods or decisions.

Specific wording gives the image below your headline a clear purpose.

Add visual project evidence

A sanitized image turns your claim into something a recruiter can inspect. Choose evidence that makes the output or process understandable at a glance.

Select Insert in the panel on the right.
Select Images.
Choose the source that lets you select a file from your device.
Select your sanitized project image.
Click Open or Select according to the file picker.

Good progress. Your opening now contains visual proof from the project you chose.

Select Insert in the panel on the right.
Select Text box.
Type your project name on the first line.
Press Enter to start a new line.
Type one sentence describing what the image shows.
Drag the text box directly below or beside the project image.

You should see the project name close to the image. The following sentence should explain exactly what the image shows.

Simplify and preview the opening

A simple opening keeps the strongest evidence visible. The headline and project image should remain easy to find at different screen widths.

Resize the project image with its edge handles until the meaningful content is easy to read.

Before you preview, do you expect a recruiter to understand your direction from this first screen? Hold that prediction for the check.

Click Preview.
Choose the widest layout option at the bottom right.

You should see your internship-focused headline with the project image. The project name and evidence description should remain visible near the image.

Read the opening as if the project were unfamiliar to you.

You can identify the internship direction and see the project output. The opening still leaves your personal contribution and detailed skills unclear.

Choose the narrowest layout option at the bottom right.

You should still see the headline and the meaningful part of the project image. The project name and description should remain readable without hiding the evidence.

Headline or image missing in preview?

Click Exit to return to the editor.
Shorten the value statement if it pushes the project image out of view.
Resize the project image if its meaningful evidence is cropped.
Click Preview again.
Choose the widest layout option to repeat the first check.
Choose the narrowest layout option to repeat the second check.

Get help fixing a Google Sites opening that is clipped or difficult to read.

Click Exit to return to the site editor.

That visible win is in place. Your portfolio now opens with a focused headline and real project evidence.

Next, you will explain the challenge and separate your contribution from the overall project.

Turn Coursework into a Case Study

Your portfolio now opens with a role-focused headline. The project image gives recruiters immediate evidence.

Recruiters also need to understand the person behind that evidence. This step tests whether the opening makes your role clear before you expand the project story.

In this step, get ready to:

Test the opening from a recruiter's viewpoint.
Turn the project evidence into a supported story.
Make your role plus reflection easy to scan.

Add the core case-study sections

The current preview is your baseline. Viewing it before making changes reveals which important question remains unanswered.

Before you preview the unchanged opening, predict whether the project output or your personal contribution will be easier to identify.

Click Preview in the top toolbar of the Google Sites editor from earlier.
Scroll through the opening as if you had less than one minute to understand the project.
Decide whether the page separates your work from the overall project.
Click Exit to return to the editor.

The opening makes the project output visible. Your personal role remains ambiguous.

That shortfall is intentional. A heading-based case study closes the gap.

Scroll to the space below your project image.
Select Insert in the right sidebar.
Click Text box.
Type Challenge as the first section title.
Apply a heading style to Challenge with the text-style control.
Write two or three sentences that define the problem or goal.

You have the first story anchor in place. Recruiters can now see what the project set out to address.

Place your cursor below the challenge text.
Type My Contribution as the next section title.
Apply the same heading style to My Contribution.
Write two or three sentences about the tasks you personally completed.
Name the team's wider work only as context.
Remove any wording that claims work completed by someone else.

Your contribution now has a clear boundary. A recruiter can distinguish your actions from the wider project.

Place your cursor below the contribution text.
Type Approach as the next section title.
Apply the same heading style to Approach.
Write a short paragraph that summarizes how you tackled the work.
Type Result below the approach text.
Apply the same heading style to Result.
Write a short paragraph that states the outcome.

What does each heading prove?

Challenge explains the problem that made the work necessary.
My Contribution identifies the work that belongs to you.
Approach reveals how you worked through the problem.
Result shows what the work achieved.

Do the headings look like body text?

Select only the section title before applying the heading style.
Keep the explanatory text in its regular body style.

Help me fix the heading structure in my Google Sites case study.

Strengthen the approach and result

The Approach section shows how you worked. The Result section proves where that work led.

Return to the Approach section.
Add one sentence that names the method you used.
Add one sentence that names the relevant tool.

Your process now has concrete evidence. The section shows more than a sequence of tasks.

Add one sentence that explains an important decision.
Add one sentence that states a constraint you worked within.

What belongs in the approach?

A method explains what you did. A tool explains what helped you do it.

A decision reveals your reasoning. A constraint shows the conditions that shaped your choices.

Return to the Result section.
Replace a general outcome with the most specific result your original work supports.
Check the original work for a verified number or scale.
Include the verified number only when it strengthens the result.
Remove every estimate that you cannot support.

Use evidence you can defend

A supported result gives you something concrete to discuss in an interview. An honest qualitative outcome is stronger than an impressive number you cannot verify.

Before you preview these sections, predict whether a recruiter can connect your process to the stated result.

Click Preview in the top toolbar.
Scroll to the Approach section.
Read through the Result section from the same viewpoint.

You should see a specific process leading to a supported outcome. The short text should remain easy to scan.

Click Exit to return to the editor.

Does the approach feel like a tool list?

Connect each tool to the job it helped you complete.
Connect the key decision to the constraint it addressed.

Help me turn my tool list into a clear project approach.

Finish with skills and reflection

Recruiters need evidence for every skill you claim. Reflection shows that you can evaluate your own work after seeing the result.

Place your cursor below the Result section.
Type Skills Demonstrated as the next section title.
Apply the same heading style to Skills Demonstrated.
List the role-relevant skills that the case study already proves.
Remove any skill that lacks evidence elsewhere on the page.

Your skills now connect directly to visible work. Each one gives a recruiter a reason to keep reading.

Place your cursor below the skills list.
Type What I Would Improve Next as the final section title.
Apply the same heading style to What I Would Improve Next.
Write one realistic improvement based on what you learned.
Explain what that improvement would change.

Before you run the final preview, predict whether a recruiter can identify all six parts without rereading any text block.

Click Preview in the top toolbar.
Scroll from Challenge through What I Would Improve Next.
Check how quickly each section title stands out.

You should quickly find Challenge, My Contribution, Approach, and Result.

You should also find Skills Demonstrated plus What I Would Improve Next without rereading the body text.

The short blocks should distinguish your work from the wider project. They should connect your process to a supported outcome.

Click Exit to return to the editor.

That story gap is closed. Your page now makes your personal value easy to scan.

Next, you'll improve the page's accessibility. You'll also add a clear contact route.

Add Skills, Access, and a Contact Route

Your Google Sites case study now tells the full story of your project.

Strong evidence loses value when its image has no text description.

An unsupported skills list creates doubt. A missing contact route stops the conversation.

In this step, get ready to:

Add a concise image description that communicates the evidence.
Refine Skills Demonstrated to three to five skills the case study proves.
Create a professional contact section that remains readable in two preview layouts.

Add alternative text to your evidence

Alternative text gives your project image a written description. A useful description explains the evidence a recruiter would miss without the image.

Select the sanitized project image in the Google Sites editor from earlier.
Open More editing options on the image toolbar.
Select Add alt text.
Enter one concise sentence in the description field that explains the evidence shown.

What makes useful alt text?

Focus on the output or process that matters to the case study. Include the result a recruiter should notice.

Skip decorative details that do not help someone understand your work. Every word should strengthen the evidence.

Refine the skills your case study proves

A compact skills list helps recruiters connect your evidence to the internship role. Each skill needs support from an action or result already shown on the page.

Scroll to the existing Skills Demonstrated section.
Click inside its text box.
Choose three to five skills that the case study directly proves.
Replace the current contents with those short skill labels.
Compare each skill with the evidence in My Contribution and Result.

Every listed skill should now connect to something you did or achieved. A recruiter can verify each claim by scanning the case study.

Add a professional contact route

A contact route turns recruiter interest into a next step. This section is public-facing once the site is published, but you decide exactly which professional details it contains.

Scroll to the bottom of the portfolio page.
Open the Insert tab in the right sidebar.
Select Text box.
Type Contact as the section heading.
Apply the same heading style used by the other case-study sections.
Add your full name on the first line.
Add your professional email address on the next line.
Add your target internship interest on the next line.

What should the contact section answer?

Your name connects the contact details to the project.

Your internship interest gives a recruiter context for their message. Your availability helps them understand your timing.

Your professional email provides the follow-up route.

Add your availability on the next line.
Replace generic link text such as click here with wording that names the destination.

Your contact section should now identify you. It should also state the opportunity you want and the way to reach you.

Scroll back to the project image.
Select the project image.
Open More editing options.
Select Add alt text.

You should see your concise description in the description field. This confirms that the image keeps its written context.

Alt text missing?

Confirm that you selected the project image instead of another page element.
Enter the description again before returning to the page canvas.

Help me restore alt text for an image in Google Sites.

Before you preview the page, do you expect the narrowest layout to keep the image, skills, and contact details easy to scan?

Click Preview.
Choose the widest layout option at the bottom right.

You should see the project image at a useful size. The skills and contact details should be easy to scan.

Choose the narrowest layout option at the bottom right.

You should see the same evidence without clipped content. The skills and contact details should remain readable.

Content cramped in Preview?

Shorten any skill label that wraps into a dense block.
Put each contact detail on its own line.
Return to Preview after each change.

Help me improve my Google Sites layout for narrow screens.

Click Exit to return to the editor.

Your recruiter-facing draft now gives every visitor a clear path from evidence to follow-up.

The draft is ready for the final gate. Next, you will publish the site and test the recruiter view.

Publish and Test the Recruiter View

Your Google Sites draft now tells a complete STEM project story. It also gives recruiters a professional contact route.

That work only supports your internship search when the live page opens with suitable viewing access. This step turns the draft into a tested recruiter view.

In this step, get ready to:

Check the complete case study in two preview layouts.
Publish the portfolio at your chosen web address.
Verify recruiter-appropriate access to the live site.

Preview the complete page

The earlier preview confirmed that your image description plus your skills section remain readable. This final review checks the complete recruiter journey before the page becomes live.

Click Preview in the Google Sites editor.
Choose the widest layout option at the bottom right.
Review the complete page for clipped images.
Reread every section for dense text, typos, or private details.
Choose the narrowest layout option at the bottom right.
Repeat the complete-page review in the narrow layout.

What counts as publish-ready?

Each section should be easy to scan without zooming. The project image should keep its key evidence visible.

Every sentence should support the case study or the contact route. Any private detail should stay outside the published page.

Click Exit to return to the editor.
Correct every issue you found in the draft.
Click Preview again.
Choose the widest layout option.
Confirm that each correction is visible.
Choose the narrowest layout option.
Confirm that each correction remains visible.
Click Exit to return to the editor.

Your full portfolio should now remain readable across both layouts. The page is ready for its live address.

Publish the portfolio

Publishing gives the draft a live web address. You still control recruiter access through the sharing settings in the next substep.

Click Publish in the Google Sites editor.
Enter your chosen web address in the publishing window.
Click Publish again.
Visit the published address using the link shown by Google Sites.
Scroll from the opening headline through the final contact section.
Record the full address from the browser address bar as your published Google Sites web address.

Great progress. Your portfolio now has a live address that loads the complete case study.

Published address unavailable?

Choose a more distinctive address that includes your name or project topic.
Click Publish again after changing the address.

If the address still cannot be published, help me choose a suitable Google Sites address.

Set access and test the live view

Google Sites supports different publishing choices based on account policy. The setting beside Published site determines which verification path applies to your portfolio.

Switch back to the Google Sites editor from earlier.
Click Share.
Check which choices appear next to Published site.

✔️ Public is available

Public access lets a recruiter open the portfolio without joining a named viewer list. A signed-out test proves that the page works beyond your own account.

Select Public next to Published site.
Click Save or Done.
Open a separate browser session where you are signed out of Google.

Before you load the link, do you expect the page to open without a Google sign-in prompt?

Visit your published Google Sites web address in the signed-out session.
Review the complete case study from the opening headline through the contact section.

You should see the complete case study without a sign-in prompt. The image evidence, skills summary, reflection, and professional contact route should all load.

Site asks you to sign in?

Return to the sharing settings. Confirm that Public remains selected next to Published site.

If the signed-out test still stops at account access, help me troubleshoot public Google Sites access.

ⓧ Only Restricted is available

Restricted access uses a named viewer list. This path keeps the portfolio limited to the recruiter recipients you approve.

Select Restricted next to Published site.
Enter the intended recruiter's name or email address.
Choose Published Viewer.
Click Send.

Before the viewer opens the invitation, do you expect their access to stop at sign-in or continue to the portfolio?

Ask the intended viewer to open the link from the invitation.
Ask the viewer to check the complete page through the contact section.

The intended viewer should reach the complete case study after using the approved account. The image evidence, skills summary, reflection, and professional contact route should all load.

Viewer cannot open the site?

Confirm that the viewer's address appears in the restricted access list. Confirm that their role is Published Viewer.

If access still fails, help me troubleshoot restricted Google Sites access.

Strong finish. Your portfolio is live through an access path a recruiter can actually use.

You have turned a STEM work sample into tested evidence for an internship conversation.

Secret mission

Deliver a 60-Second Project Walkthrough

Turn your live portfolio into an approximately 60-second recruiter walkthrough. Open with your target internship direction plus your strongest proven skill. Use the live page to show the project story from challenge to contribution to result.

Clean Up Your Resources

Choose whether to keep your published portfolio available, limit its visibility for now, or remove it. This project added no purchases, so there are no new ongoing project charges to stop.

Resources you used:

One Google Sites portfolio stored in your Google Account, including its editable draft, published web address, access settings, and uploaded sanitized project image.

Keep everything running

Keep this option when you want recruiters to continue viewing your portfolio or when you plan to improve it later.

Leave Published site set to Public if your account supports broad access.
Keep each intended recruiter listed as a Published Viewer if your portfolio uses Restricted access.
Retain the portfolio in your Google Account for future edits.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Pausing limits broad public access while preserving your portfolio for later. A portfolio already set to Restricted has this limited-visibility state.

Return to the Google Sites editor for your portfolio.
Click Share.
Set Published site to Restricted.
Click Save or Done, depending on the button your account shows.
Confirm Published site now shows Restricted.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Removing your polished site can feel final. Choose this option when you no longer want the editable draft or the published portfolio.

Return to Google Sites in your browser.
Locate your portfolio site.
Click More on the site.
Click Remove.
Confirm your portfolio no longer appears on the Google Sites page.

Nice Work!

You did it! Your published one-page Google Sites portfolio now turns a recruiter-safe STEM project into evidence for internship reviewers.

What you learned:

Shaped one STEM work sample into a recruiter-focused case study that makes your challenge, personal contribution, approach, result, skills, and reflection easy to scan.
Presented accessible project evidence through a sanitized image with concise alt text. Added a professional contact route for recruiter follow-up.
Published the portfolio with recruiter-appropriate viewing access. Tested the live recruiter view through the viewing path permitted by your account.
Secret Mission: Practised a concise 60-second project walkthrough that connects your target role, strongest proven skill, challenge, personal contribution, and result to the evidence on your live portfolio.

Ready to quiz yourself?