The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) hosted the Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship (MLEF) Program Technical Forum marking the end of the summer 2021 session.  Participants had the opportunity to present the findings of their summer research projects during this week-long event.

The MLEF Technical Forum began on Monday, August 9th with opening remarks by Alan Perry, FECM Director of the Office of Workforce Management and Administration, Dr. Brian Anderson, National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Director and MLEF Co-Founders Captain (Ret.) Ernest R. Hunter Sr. and Reginal “Reggie” Spiller. The forum then transitioned to ten-minute presentations from each participant about their summer projects over the course of the week.  In addition, past program participants were invited to serve on an Alumni Panel.  Four alumni shared how they leveraged their MLEF experience and answer questions from current participants. The program even had a bingo night on Tuesday!

Participants spent the summer performing research with the help of their mentors on projects that relate to their fields of study and provides them with insight on how FECM is working to minimize the environmental impacts of fossil fuels while working towards net-zero emissions.  Their resilience and commitment to their projects while completing them in a remote site is both impressive and admirable.

Participant Diana Morales meeting with Secretary Jennifer Granholm
Participant Diana Morales meeting with Secretary Jennifer Granholm
Participant Fatou Mbaye presenting their research and answering questions from Reggie Spiller during the MLEF Technical Forum.
Participant Fatou Mbaye presenting their research and answering questions from Reggie Spiller during the MLEF Technical Forum.

Participants also heard from various experts within FECM through the Fuel Up with FECM speaker series.  Speakers such as chief of staff, Dr. Shuchi Talati, spoke about their work and the work of their respective offices. In addition, they shared their various career paths and how that led them to where they are now. The Spark Your Knowledge speaker series focused on professional development topics such how to conduct a poster presentation, scientific writing and generations in the workplace.

Participants sitting in on a Fuel Up with FECM session.
Participants sitting in on a Fuel Up with FECM session.

MLEF and FECM are extremely proud of their 2021 MLEF cohort and the knowledge and experience they have gained over the summer. We can’t wait to see where our bright fellows are headed next!