Council of Energy Resource Tribes
Argonne National Laboratory Department of Interior's Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development

Energy Resource Development Tribal Internship Program
Application Deadline: PASSED

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, a major research center, is pleased to announce a unique summer internship program for American Indian and Native Alaska (AI/NA) college students. The Council of Energy Resource Tribes (CERT) and the Department of Interior's Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) worked together to identify strategic opportunities for internships based on current Argonne programs and mentorship availability. Potential research arenas are focused on energy resource development, both renewable and non-renewable, and environmental evaluation and analysis of potential impacts from energy resource development activities. To facilitate the program DEP will collaborate with the Environmental Sciences Division in providing scientific and technical mentoring for interns.

The DEP has designed a residential program to host ten undergraduates, selected by Argonne and CERT, during the summer of 2009. Students would be in residence at the laboratory for ten weeks.

A key element of the internship experience is Tribal involvement. CERT in coordination with Argonne will recruit interns from public, private and Tribal Institutions of higher learning.

For additional information on the Energy Resource Development Tribal Internship Program, please follow the link to Argonne DEP Website:
http://www.dep.anl.gov/p_undergrad/TribalInternships/index.htm

The program begins May 26, 2009 however there is some flexibility in the appointment period. In addition to research activities, participants attend a series of seminars and tours dealing with current topics in science and engineering.

Tribal unemployment is high, from as much as 85-90% to a low of 15%. Over half of the Indian families living in their homelands have income under than the official poverty line, some by as much as 25%.