Cultivating STEM Talent: Students Inducted as New DOE Fellows

Benjamin Vargas, second from left, is inducted as a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fellow at a recent ceremony. He is pictured with DOE Office of Environmental Management Chief Technology Officer John Dupuy, second from right, Florida International University Program Director Leonel Lagos, left, and Applied Research Center Executive Director Inés Triay.

MIAMI — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Florida International University (FIU) recently marked progress in growing the STEM workforce by inducting 10 students as DOE Fellows.

The DOE Fellows program, a science, technology, engineering and math workforce development initiative, is sponsored by DOE's Office of Environmental Management (EM). It aims to attract, train and retain a skilled workforce for the complex task of cleaning up the nation's nuclear legacy.

The 19th annual induction ceremony and accompanying events over two days underscored the ongoing partnership between DOE and FIU in preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers for critical environmental management challenges.

Since its inception in 2007, the Fellows program has inducted 230 students. Fellows are mentored in research, development, and deployment of new cleanup technologies. They participate in 10-week summer internships at facilities across the DOE complex and present their research at the Waste Management Symposia in Phoenix, Arizona, and other conferences around the world.

The Fellows program results in a 98% hiring rate for students who complete the program, including 24 Fellows hired by DOE, contractors or national laboratories such as Savannah River National Laboratory — the sole EM-sponsored national lab; 20 hired by other federal, state and local government agencies; and 90 hired by the private STEM industry.

The new DOE Fellows gather for a photo with participants from Florida International University and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management to conclude the induction ceremony.

Participants in the latest induction ceremony, held at FIU's Modesto Maidique Campus, welcomed the new Fellows class. The program began with remarks and keynote speakers, including John Dupuy, the new EM chief technology officer. This was followed by the induction of nine FIU students as EM Fellows and one as a DOE Office of Legacy Management Fellow.

Organizers then held a DOE Fellows Poster Exhibition and laboratory tours at the Applied Research Center (ARC) – FIU's Engineering Center. This provided an opportunity for the new fellows and guests to engage in current research projects and witness firsthand the innovative work being conducted.

The next day focused on the future of technology in environmental management with a workshop on artificial intelligence, robotics, augmented and virtual reality and digitalization held at ARC. EM representatives and the ARC team discussed DOE’s current initiatives and needs, and research projects and capabilities at ARC, emphasizing the collaborative spirit and forward-thinking approach of the program.

ARC supports EM’s mission of accelerated risk reduction and cleanup. The center’s work includes developing robotic platforms and tools to better detect potential leaks in waste tanks underground at the Hanford Site in Washington state, developing hydrological models to predict the fate and transport of contaminants at Savannah River Site and developing digital elevation maps for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

The collaboration between DOE and FIU, spanning nearly two decades, has been instrumental in addressing environmental challenges and building a robust talent pipeline for the EM mission. The newly inducted class will contribute to this legacy, focusing on applied engineering and science studies relevant to DOE's mission. The program offers students educational opportunities and a pathway to careers in STEM fields within DOE, with DOE contractors, and in private industry.

-Contributor: Danielle Chambers