New NSF-DOE Internship Program to Support Growth of Geothermal Energy Workforce

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a new internship program that will support the goals of DOE's recently launched Enhanced Geothermal Shot. The new NSF-DOE collaboration is part of NSF’s INTERN program and will support 10 to 20 six-month research internships per year to work in the geothermal industry on projects that advance geothermal technologies.  

This is the first activity coordinated through the March 2022 NSF-DOE Memorandum of Understanding, which aims to formalize the agencies’ longstanding partnership on scientific and engineering research to bolster national energy policy.   

The Enhanced Geothermal Shot aims to bring enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) to Americans nationwide and includes a goal of reducing the cost of EGS 90% by 2035. It is part of DOE’s Energy Earthshots Initiative to help break down the biggest remaining scientific and technical barriers to tackling the climate crisis. Energy Earthshots support the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, while creating jobs and growing the economy. EGS holds huge promise as a firm, flexible source of electricity as well as heating and cooling, but research and innovation to drive down costs and realize this potential will require significant growth in the geothermal energy workforce.

For more information, visit NSF’s website to read about this new internship opportunity and learn more about NSF’s INTERN program.