Office of Indian Energy Welcomes Summer Interns

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy is providing career development opportunities for 11 students this summer through two interns...

Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs

June 7, 2016
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy is providing career development opportunities for 11 students this summer through two internship programs. On June 1, 2016, the 15th consecutive year of the College Student Internship Program kicked off at DOE’s Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This program provides an opportunity for three full-time graduate students to assist a cross-disciplinary team at Sandia in performing tribal renewable energy technical tasks. On June 6, the Office of Indian Energy announced eight students selected as 2016 Washington Native Interns through a collaborative effort with the American University and the Minority Educational Institution Student Partnership Program.

College Student Internship Program

Sandia 2016 and Year-Round Interns.jpg

Participants in the 2016 College Student Internship Program. From L to R: Kimberlynn Cameron, Rachel Gutierrez, and Diana Fuller with year-round interns Thomas Jones and Len Necefer. Photo from Sandra Begay, Sandia National Laboratories.

From June 6 to Aug. 18, the participants of the College Student Internship Program at Sandia will gain hands-on experience with tribal renewable energy technology use and application. The interns will work directly with internationally recognized energy experts under the guidance of Sandra Begay-Campbell, technical mentor and student intern program supervisor at Sandia.  

Multiple immersion experiences are planned for the interns this summer, including travel to an energy conference, a tour of a solar installation, participation in a strategic energy planning session, and several field visits. The internships will culminate in the development of a research paper exploring an in-depth topic of interest. The summer interns will also work alongside year-round interns Thomas Jones and Len Necefer. The candidates selected for the 2016 program are:

  1. Kimberlynn Cameron (returning intern)
    South Dakota School of Mines, Rapid City, South Dakota
    Master's Candidate in Engineering Management
    South Dakota School of Mines - BS in Geology 
     
  2. Diana Fuller
    Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois 
    Master’s Candidate in Environmental Studies, University of Illinois - Springfield
    Illinois State University - BS in Renewable Energy Economic & Public Policy
     
  3. Rachael Gutierrez
    Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York
    Master's Candidate in City and Regional Planning, Pratt Institute School of Architecture 
    Boston University - BA in International Relations with a specialization in Latin America and International Business

Washington Native Interns

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Office of Indian Energy Director Chris Deschene, interns Natalia Sells, Nicole Yamane, Stephanie Stewart, Cody Johnson, Czarina Campos, Morgan Gray, David Conrad, and Doug MacCourt. Photo by Sarai Geary, Office of Indian Energy.

In addition to the interns at Sandia, the Office of Indian Energy is hosting eight students from June 6 to July 29 through the Washington Internships for Native Students (WINS) in collaboration with the American University and the Minority Educational Institution Student Partnership Program. WINS offers students of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian nations the opportunity to build leadership and advocacy skills while living, studying, and interning in Washington, D.C.

Several of the students will be working with the Office of Indian Energy, while others will provide support to a variety of other offices across DOE, including the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, Office of National Environmental Policy Act Policy and Compliance, Office of the General Council, and Office of Nuclear Energy. In addition, one student will intern with the Jobs Strategy Council and Workforce Training Initiative, which consists of members from 20 offices as well as representatives from DOE’s national laboratories and other federal agency partners.

The Washington Native Interns are:

  1. Czarina Campos
    Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
     
  2. Nancy Deere-Turney
    Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma
     
  3. Morgan Gray
    Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma
     
  4. Cody Johnson
    Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
     
  5. Alyssa Norris
    Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
     
  6. Natalia Sells
    Ft. Lewis College, Durango, Colorado
     
  7. Stephanie Stewart
    Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico
     
  8. Nicole Yamane
    University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

For more details on the Washington Native Interns and their responsibilities, download this flier.

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Tags:
  • Careers
  • Renewable Energy
  • Tribal Energy Access
  • Energy Justice
  • Clean Energy