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Pre-Service Teacher Internships

Photo of an intern performing research as part of the DOE Pre-Service Training Program.

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Pre-Service Teacher (PST) Internship Program provides laboratory research opportunities to highly motivated pre-service teachers (undergraduates or graduate students preparing to be teachers). Many of the nation's premier energy laboratories host the teachers and assign scientists to mentor them. The program targets a diverse group of pre-service teachers preparing to teach K-12 science, mathematics, or technology and provides opportunities for them to do research in a laboratory setting. The program at each participating national laboratory includes a cadre of pre-service teachers who engage in a clearly defined 10-week research project under the mentorship of a laboratory scientist or engineer. Interns are supervised by a laboratory program manager and master teacher.

The PST Program is designed to:

  • Immerse pre-service teachers in research appointments for 10-weeks under the guidance of a mentor scientist and practicing teacher
  • Provide regular interaction with a master teacher to develop transfer strategies of the laboratory experience to the classroom
  • Introduce the pre-service teacher to research, scientific methodology, and technologies.

For information including eligibility and application information, visit DOE's Office of Science Education Web site. For more information about the PST program at NREL contact Linda Lung at linda_lung@nrel.gov or (303) 275-3044.