PGGURP and Grad School Applications

[magnetite]

I've just come across an internship/REU that's available to undergraduates who've just graduated: NASA's Planetary Geology and Geophysics Undergraduate Research Program (PGGURP). The application process seems a bit strange to me, probably only in the context of my graduate school applications. There isn't a list of potential advisors, but the PIs send a request for an intern by the same deadline as the deadline for the internship application.

Does anyone have experience with this particular program? As part of the application process, you can specify someone you'd like to work with. But without knowing which PIs are going to actually request an intern, this seems like a curious prospect.

Would it be out of line for me to try to contact a POI at a school I applied to, in order to see if he'd be requesting an intern so I can name him in that application? The timing of this deadline is tricky, too, as the results page shows this particular school sends out acceptances at about the same time as the deadline for the program. Is it even a good idea to try this, if there's a chance I would end up doing a PhD at the same school I'd be doing this internship?

Any help would be appreciated.

[sjoh197]

There's only 12 days left to apply. It's a cool program and opportunity, but there's really not a lot of time to hurry up and figure this out. Do you already have people who can write you a rec. letter within the next week? 

[GeoDUDE!]

Why not ? Apply for everything. 

[magnetite]

I was mainly curious if it's customary for applicants for this internship to contact potential advisors beforehand. Since I'd contact people I've applied to work for in graduate school, I thought I'd ask the question here.

Getting two recommendations submitted by the deadline won't be a problem. My advisors have told me they more or less use the same letter for everything but change the addressee.