On February 9th, 2022, the Department of Energy's Office of Economic Impact and Diversity (ED) hosted an Awareness, Interest, and Access: Featuring Idaho National Laboratory (INL) webinar. The purpose of this webinar was to provide a clear description of how the INL functions and promote the variety of opportunities they have available through education and business research and development. The INL is committed to creating a socially secure, resilient, net-zero energy future. It is the only National Lab specializing in nuclear energy learning and business development.

The Department of Energy, America's solutions department, is committed to creating a diversified and equitable workspace that models our varied country while designing and implementing sustainable change to the climate and energy transition in human development. Our collaboration with the INL ensures revolutionizing energy justice to your basic civil rights principles within the environmental academic and workforce spaces.

The Deputy Director and Program Analyst for ED shared opening remarks on how and why we will build on our program offices' essential partnerships with community stakeholders, Tribal nations, communities of color, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and minority-serving institutions. Following his comments, Rae Moss, the Director of Communication and Outreach for the INL, provided detail about what the INL entails, its mission, goals, and outcomes on diversified initiatives. Next, Ali Josephson, Student Programs Manager for INL, spoke about University Partnerships available at the INL. These programs are open to all students and include:

Postdoctoral research

Idaho National Laboratory Graduate Fellows

Internships

Practicums

Employee Education program

Joint Appointments

The INL is committed to strengthening inclusion and diversity through empowerment culture. We amplify our commitments to research, development, diversity, and deployment in communities thus far left behind in the energy transition. Ms. Josephson went into greater detail on the programs they have implemented within the lab, focusing on increasing awareness and diversity, such as the Women in Leadership Program and the Veterans & People with Disabilities Leadership Council. Terrence Buck, Talent Acquisition Manager at INL, spoke next and shared how INL's values, mission, and vision were fundamental in recruiting. From hiring to the deployment of research and procurement dollars, equity must be central. On the GEM Fellowship, Buck closed with the highlighted plethora of available programs at the INL, specifically funded for minority students. Following Mr. Buck's part of the presentation, Rachel Eleam, Recruiter and GEM Program Representative shared valuable recruitment tips, followed by Ryan Bills, Senior Commercialization Manager, Technology Deployment, who spoke about shared technology transfer and SBIR/STTR Collaboration. Stacey Francis, Small Business Program Manager, concluded this portion of the webinar by sharing how the INL works with small businesses and ways to get involved.

After Ms. Francis's speech, participants visited panel breakout rooms to discuss each specific program involved and learn best practices to access opportunities, internships, fellowships, postdoctoral assignments, and faculty collaborations. Panelists provided guided virtual walk-throughs of current school year opportunities and requirements to make the application process easier for applicant attendees. Kudos to INL for facilitating such opportunities in education

For access to the recording and past and future events, please visit our website.