The 2012 class and mentors of the Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship Program.

 

Are you a student in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) degree looking for a worthwhile summer internship?  Do you currently have a child pursuing these types of degrees?  If so, applications are now open through January 18, 2013, for the Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship, which is a 10-week paid summer internship program that provides research opportunities to minority and female students pursuing degrees in STEM majors.

Learn more about the Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship and apply now: https://orise.orau.gov/mlef/.

In August 2000, then-Energy Secretary Bill Richardson renamed the Office of Fossil Energy's Minority Education Initiative the Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship after the late Congressman from Houston to "remember a great American who dedicated his life to expanding human potential."  Congressman Mickey Leland, who died on August 7, 1989 in a plane crash, was passionate about education. “I could find no better way to honor his memory than to endow his name on a program that will elevate the opportunities for future generations of minority students,” Secretary Richardson said.  Since its inception, the Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship has provided valuable research opportunities and experience to over 420 students who have graduated from the program.

The Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship plays a significant role promoting a more dynamic energy workforce by strengthening diversity candidates in STEM fields for the Energy Department and the energy industry at large.  Thus, we accept all qualified candidates but make special effort to attract minority and female students from majority schools and Minority Serving Institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities. 

Candidates who are selected have the opportunity to work on research projects consistent with the mission of the Office of Fossil Energy, which provides energy security for U.S. citizens by working on projects such as pollution-free coal plants, more productive and safe oil and gas fields, and the continuing readiness of federal emergency oil stockpiles. Students are placed at several locations around the nation including Energy Department National Laboratories or the Department’s Headquarters in Washington, D.C.  At the conclusion of the internship, students attend a Technical Forum where they present their research project and tour several technical sites located nearby (the location of the technical forum changes every year).

This exceptional internship program not only gives students an opportunity to learn through doing, but also introduces students to the contributions that the energy industry workforce makes to the welfare of the nation and the global community. Beyond stressing the need for excellent technical and networking skills, the Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship emphasizes a commitment to professionalism, an obligation to community service, and the duty to effectively communicate and advocate for science and technology in public discourse.

Share information about the Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship with undergraduate and postgraduate students in STEM majors today: https://orise.orau.gov/mlef/.