Since its inception in 1946, BER has directly supported the academic advancement of more than 2500 individuals and touched the lives of thousands more through a series of activities and programs, including the following current programs:

• The Minority Institutions Biological and Environmental Student Research Participation. Program provides summer research opportunities for graduate students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, tribal colleges, and Hispanic-serving institutions. Research must be conducted at any of the participating multiprogram or dedicated laboratories nationwide currently funded by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Research must be conducted in a research area that supports the mission of BER. Applications are due in January.
• Global Change Education Program. The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research has established the Global Change Education Program (GCEP) to promote undergraduate and graduate training in support of the Department's global change research activities. Global change research encompasses a wide variety of study areas, including atmospheric sciences, ecology, global carbon cycles, climatology, and terrestrial processes. The GCEP includes the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), the Graduate Research Environmental Fellowships (GREF), and DOE sponsorship of several proteges in the Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) program.