PADUCAH, Ky.––Twelve college students are participating in this year’s Summer Internship program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Paducah Site. The 10-week program kicked off recently, offering hands-on experience, leadership opportunities, and communication skills training to participants.

“Hiring college interns allows students to gain experience and enhances our local workforce as a whole,” said Jennifer Woodard, Paducah Site Lead for DOE’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office. “The summer internship program is an excellent way for college interns to gain experience, while we benefit from new and innovative ideas.”

Throughout the program, students attend educational seminars. They also participate in team-building activities and cross-training opportunities. Students are trained and assist in the areas of Planning and Optimization, Business Services, Environmental Services, Waste and Materials, Stabilization and Deactivation, Engineering, and Environmental Safety, Health, and Quality Services. 

Eleven students are each paired with a mentor from Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership, LLC (FRNP), DOE’s deactivation and remediation contractor, and one student with a mentor from Swift & Staley, DOE’s infrastructure support services contractor. 

“The internship program provides an opportunity for college students to gain first-hand experience and to build key relationships that can help them launch careers after graduation,” FRNP Program Manager Bill Kirby said. “We’re pleased to have them as members of our team.”

In addition to performing daily tasks, interns also participate in the DOE’s Feds Feed Families drive, a program that collects and donates food to local non-profits who work to feed the region’s hungry. 

This year’s FRNP interns include Ryan Bass, Matthew Gilbert, Kristin Atkins, and John DeNeve of University of Kentucky; Logan Mitchell of Western Kentucky University; Alex Montgomery, Candace Gillette, Jacob Myers, and Evan Green of Murray State University; Brandon Townsend of Tennessee Technical University; and Drake Bowen of Southeast Missouri State University. Nathan Williams of University of Kentucky is an intern at Swift & Staley.

This is the second year Logan Mitchell, a senior at WKU, has worked as a contractor intern.  “I loved last year’s internship, and this year I am excited to continue honing my professional skills and expanding my network,” he said.