Newswise — WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Science will sponsor the participation of 1,073 undergraduate students and 113 faculty members in three STEM-focused workforce development programs at 17 DOE national laboratories and a national fusion facility during Summer 2024. 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.

“The Department of Energy is proud to offer opportunities to students and teachers to learn about DOE, the national labs, and science as a discipline,” said Harriet Kung, Acting Director of the DOE Office of Science. “When students are able to experience working in a laboratory, they have a better understanding of what their career could be. We are excited to encourage new researchers on their paths to helping us solve the world’s challenges.”

Nine hundred and twenty-two (922) 2- and 4-year undergraduate students and 122 community college students will participate in the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) and Community College Internships (CCI) programs, respectively. These students, 24% of which are from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), will work directly with national lab scientists and engineers on research and technology projects that support DOE’s missions.

One hundred and thirteen (113) college and university faculty members will collaborate with national lab research staff this summer on projects of mutual interest through the Visiting Faculty Program (VFP). Additionally, 29 students will join the faculty awardees as team members on the collaborative research projects. These faculty and students represent 87 institutions, 46% of which are MSIs, including 17 HBCUs.

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 DOE Office of Science. For more information, visit the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) homepage.