Newswise — WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Science will sponsor the participation of 139 undergraduate students and five faculty members in three STEM-focused workforce development programs at 14 DOE national laboratories and a national fusion facility during Fall 2023. Collectively, these programs ensure DOE and our nation have a strong, sustained workforce trained in the skills needed to address the energy, environment, and national security challenges of today and tomorrow.
“I’m thrilled to see the future of science in these interns and participants,” said Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Director of the DOE Office of Science. “We have big challenges to solve, and we will need all voices represented in science and research. These programs provide a unique opportunity to get students and faculty involved in research that will have an impact.”
115 undergraduate students from 2- and 4-year institutions and 24 community college students will participate in STEM internships through the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) and Community College Internships (CCI) programs, respectively. In both programs, students work directly with national lab scientists and engineers on research and technology projects that support DOE’s missions.
Five college and university faculty members representing four institutions, including two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), will collaborate with national lab research staff this fall on projects of mutual interest. These awards are administered through the Visiting Faculty Program (VFP) through DOE’s Office of Science. The fall VFP program is offered through the Office of Science’s RENEW initiative as an extended opportunity for summer VFP participants to conduct research and build collaborations at the national laboratories. This opportunity will strengthen partnerships between DOE national laboratories and minority-serving institutions (MSIs), two-year colleges, and other colleges and universities nationwide.
The RENEW initiative (https://science.osti.gov/Initiatives/RENEW) leverages the Office of Science’s unique national laboratories, user facilities, and other research infrastructure to provide training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty at academic institutions currently underrepresented in the U.S. science and technology ecosystem. RENEW will offer hands-on experiences and open new career avenues for talented young scientists, engineers, and technicians.
SULI, CCI and VFP participants are selected by the DOE national laboratories and facilities from a diverse pool of applicants from academic institutions around the country. The programs are managed by the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) in the Office of Science.
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