Community College Institute
NREL recognizes the critical role played by community colleges in preparing the workforce of the future. Interactions with community college administrators, faculty, and students are intended to encourage partnerships in education and research.
NREL participates in a national Community College Institute (CCI) for Science and Technology sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the American Association of Community Colleges. This collaborative initiative is designed to provide educational training and research experience at selected DOE laboratories.
Students participating in the Institute will:
- be mentored by world-renowned scientists
- learn scientific inquiry and methodology to solve scientific problems
- be introduced to and use state-of-the-art scientific instruments
- learn about career options in the science and technology enterprise.
The ten-week laboratory experience will include technical internships with practicing scientists or engineers and education enhancement activities.
Enrichment and Leadership Opportunities
Students who participate in CCI at NREL are offered special opportunities for educational enrichment and leadership development. For example, to develop leadership skills, all students are required to participate in a series of workshops that guide them through the process of developing a formal verbal, visual, and written presentation describing the research experience. Thus, students develop written and verbal articulation skills often not attended to in academic curricula. This skill and leadership development is required of all students participating in CCI at DOE laboratories.
Contact
For information including eligibility and application information, visit DOE's Office of Science Education Web site. For additional information about participating in Colorado's High School Science Bowl at NREL, contact Linda Lung at linda_lung@nrel.gov or (303) 275-3044.
