Confidence, Adaptability, and Energy: Interns Gain Valuable Career Experience and Skills within CESER

The Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER)’s Risk Management Tools & Technologies (RMT) division had the pleasure of hosting two interns this summer: Shawn Campbell, a senior electrical engineering student at Morgan State University, and Kennedy Brown, a senior civil engineering student at Howard University. They come to CESER as part of the Minority Educational Institution Student Partnership Program (MEISPP), a DOE-wide program that aims to build a more diverse workforce by offering internships for students at minority-serving institutions.  

“We face a shortage of engineers in our industry, both in government and the private sector,” explained Dave Howard, electrical engineer at CESER and the interns’ mentor this summer. “Internships are opportunities to help address this. By showing the interns where the jobs are, and what the jobs entail, we can provide a fresh influx of graduates to our sector.” 

Both Kennedy and Shawn come to their engineering skills naturally. Kennedy describes herself as “a numbers person”, tutoring kids in math and living environments, a course that explores the unique characteristics and processes of living things, while in high school. Growing up in New York City, she was surrounded by tall buildings and grew curious about how they came to be. Kennedy hopes to one day build a bridge while working in the field and then move into academia as a professor.  

Shawn has always wanted to make positive impacts to communities. During high school in his hometown of Chicago, he participated in an engineering project that supported those affected by Hurricane Maria. He saw firsthand how integral electricity is to every aspect of life and knew he wanted to be a part of the work that would make these resources more accessible and sustainable in the future. 

CESER’s internship program has given both Kennedy and Shawn a new and unexpected look at career opportunities in their fields. Shawn and Kennedy worked on Dave’s team to identify the current research gaps related to the ways climate change impacts the electric grid - from wildfires to wildlife. They interviewed representatives from utilities in the Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives (VMDAEC) to understand how climate-related disruptions interfered with their organizations. Using their results, they will recommend mitigation strategies to help address and ultimately prevent these negative impacts to the grid. 

It was a surprising realization for Kennedy to find that even the experts don’t have all the answers! “I thought they had everything figured out,” she said, and was happy to help fill in the holes to support them this summer. The project was particularly well-suited for Shawn and Kennedy; Shawn brings the electrical engineering expertise to understand how energy moves through the grid, and Kennedy’s civil engineering background provides foundational knowledge of the grid’s physical infrastructure and components. 

Their ten-week project ends in early August with a presentation of their findings and recommendations to CESER’s leadership and several team members. The experience, however, will stick with them through the remainder of their college years. “The experience from this internship raised my confidence and gave me this eccentric energy to attack anything engineering essentially,” Shawn explained. Kennedy expressed that she’ll be less nervous to learn new things this coming school year because of the internship. “Knowing that I can learn something new quickly and adapt to it now makes me feel more comfortable in those situations”, she shared.  

CESER staff and leadership hope to work with both Shawn and Kennedy in the field very soon!