The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy, with support and coordination from Sandia National Laboratories, offers a college student internship program for current full-time undergraduate and graduate students who are familiar with Native American culture and tribal issues. Interns support tribal energy projects and assist a cross-disciplinary team to perform specific technical tasks in the field and at DOE’s Sandia National Laboratories.

Learn more about the requirements and application process.

College Student Internship Program Highlights, 2010-2022*

  • 31 undergraduate & graduate interns have participated
  • 12 different tribal affiliations
  • 26% of the interns converted to year-round status (8 of 31)
  • 10% of the interns hired as Sandia full-time employees or contractors (3 of 31)
  • 71% female interns (22 of 31).
* No internships were offered in 2020.

DOE Tribal Internship Program: Cultivating Indian Energy Leaders

For 20 years, Sandia National Laboratories and the Department of Energy's Office of Indian Energy has offered an internship program to Native American and Alaskan Native STEM college students. In this video, interns visited two California tribes, Campo Kumeyaay Tribe and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, to learn and reflect on the Tribes' successes.
Sandia National Laboratories
Hear former interns’ stories about how the program has positively affected their lives, helped guide and influence their career paths, and enabled them to fulfill their desire to make a positive impact in Indian Country.
U.S. Department of Energy