Here are a few of the STEM programs throughout the Department that encourage STEM careers and aim to increase learners’ engagement, interest in STEM and their perception of its value to their lives, or their ability or participate in STEM.
Minority Educational Institutions Student Partnership Program (MEISPP), run by the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, offers talented undergraduate and graduate students summer internship positions with the Department of Energy and our National Laboratories, with the goal of reaching underrepresented students in STEM fields, such as women and girls. Positions involve scientific research or a focus on policy, business, and government relations. All internships include paid lodging, round trip airfare, and monetary compensation. Students receive an intensive ten-week assignment to jumpstart their careers and develop their potential for future opportunities within the federal government. Students work side-by-side with leading scientists, engineers, and other top professionals to develop career skills and enhance leadership capabilities.
Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship was initiated to increase opportunities for women and under-represented minorities who are pursuing degrees in STEM. During this 10 week summer program run by the Office of Fossil Energy, students will work at one of the Department's locations in focused research projects consistent with the Fossil Energy mission, and receive a paid stipend. At the conclusion of the internship, students attend a Technical Forum to present their research project and tour nearby technical sites. Applications for summer 2013 open on November 16 and close January 18.
The American Indian Research and Education Initiative (AIREI) Through a pilot program announced in 2011, the Energy Department, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society have partnered to bring science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) research and education funding to our nation’s Tribal colleges and universities and other U.S. universities around the country. This program - the American Indian Research and Education Initiative (AIREI) - is funding six schools - three pairs of tribal colleges and mainstream universities - to fund student and faculty research teams to bring energy projects to tribal land.
Minority Serving Institution Internship Program strives to recruit and hire a highly skilled workforce representing America’s rich diversity. Undergraduate and graduate students attending a MSI are welcome to apply for positions located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and at our Federal field offices, laboratories, and manufacturing plants. NNSA has facilities in Albuquerque, N.M.; Kansas City, Mo.; Livermore, Calif.; Los Alamos, N.M.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Amarillo, Texas; Aiken, S.C.; and Oak Ridge, Tenn. Selections are made each spring for summer placement. Applicants must be at a participating MSI, 18 yrs or older, enrolled as a degree-seeking student maintaining a minimum of a half-time academic course load (as defined by the educational institution in which you are enrolled); and have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 and be in good academic standing. Participating university career centers will share application procedures, which will include a resume, two letters of recommendation, and a short essay.
The Collegiate Wind Competition sends undergraduate students through a multi-part challenge that will expose them to a variety of opportunities in clean energy. Beginning in 2013, student teams from 10 universities across the country will design and construct a lightweight, transportable wind turbine that can be used to power small electronic devices. The competition culminates with a trip in the spring of 2014, when the teams will compete head-to-head. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Atlanta University Center Sustainable Campus Community Initiative.This collaboration with Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College is designed to support capacity building in the areas of alternative, renewable and green energy technologies. The project’s goals include: (1) developing an energy/science portal site that will be available to all participating institutions' students and faculty; (2) creating an energy pipeline of students with the assistance of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) through a two-week High School Energy Summer Institute (HESI); and (3) creating an Energy Stars Fellowship Program to attract talented students and employ them in energy research efforts at an AUC or with a Department of Energy laboratory.
The Office of Science’s Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) leverages the expertise of its six research program offices and the unique capabilities at the Department's laboratories to sponsor workforce training programs designed to motivate students and educators to pursue careers that will contribute to the Office of Science’s mission in discovery science and science for the national need. WDTS also partners and coordinates with other program offices and other federal agencies in its workforce and STEM education efforts.
Historically Black Colleges & Universities and Other Minority Institutions Education and Training began in 1984, expanding learning opportunities for university students and increase collaborative efforts between the Nation's minority students and the fossil fuel industry. The Office of Fossil Energy holds annual competitions to fund research and training at Minority Serving Institutions, and research proposals can span virtually the entire spectrum of fossil fuel topics, from advanced ways to use coal cleanly to new methods for recovering and processing oil and natural gas, and innovations in fuel cell technology. Recently, the focus has been on sensors and controls; computational energy sciences; and advanced materials for power generation and for hydrogen separation and storage.
The STEM Mentoring program, now in its second year, matches undergraduate students in the DC area to federal employees in STEM fields for custom-designed mentor/mentee relationships for 9 months. There are 49 participants, including 23 mentees and 26 mentors. The program includes orientation, action plans and mentoring agreements, quarterly activities, and quarterly reports.
Minority University Research Associates Program DOE developed the MURA Program to encourage minority students to pursue careers in science and technology. Funded by the Solar Energy Technologies Program, MURA supports research associates and professors/principal investigators from selected schools as they perform renewable energy research projects during the academic year.
Clean Cities University Workforce Development Program. Clean Cities, in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Vehicle Technologies Program, offers students across the country the opportunity to work with community-based Clean Cities coalitions. In these paid internships, students can work on a variety of projects that reduce petroleum in the transportation sector, including communication on alternative fuels, fleet analysis, and stakeholder outreach. Internships with Clean Cities coalitions are available throughout the year for undergraduate (junior or senior) or graduate students studying communications, public relations, business, marketing, engineering, or environmental sciences.
The Community College Internship program seeks to encourage community college students to enter technical careers relevant to the Department’s mission by providing technical training experiences at the labs. Selected students participate as interns appointed at one of 15 participating DOE laboratories. They work on technologies or instrumentation projects or major research facilities supporting the Department’s mission, under the guidance of laboratory staff scientists and engineers.
The Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship Program -encourages undergraduate students to pursue STEM careers by providing research experiences at the DOE laboratories. Selected students participate as interns appointed at one of 15 participating DOE laboratories. They perform research, under the guidance of laboratory staff scientists or engineers, on projects supporting the DOE mission.
QuarkNet offers summer research opportunities in science and technology for students who have demonstrated a strong interest in and aptitude for science and mathematics. Two teams consisting of four students and one teacher work for six weeks with scientists or engineers on projects related to the Fermilab research program for six weeks.
The Industrial Assessment Center Program enables promising engineering students to conduct energy assessments in a broad range of manufacturing facilities, providing skills and experience that prepares the students to compete in today's economy while helping local companies and factories to reduce energy waste, save money, and become more economically competitive. Students at the 24 Universities that were selected in the last round of funding gain valuable knowledge on evaluating the efficiency of key industrial operations, systems, and processes. These experiences help them contribute directly to a company's bottom line.
SAGE, the Summer of Applied Geophysical Experience, is a unique educational program designed to introduce undergraduate students and professionals in geophysics and related fields to hands on geophysical exploration and research. The program emphasizes both teaching of field methods and research related to basic science and a variety of applied problems.