The EMPOWER NRT program recently received $100,000 in funding from the National Science Foundation’s INTERN program to support professional internships for students in our program.
The funding, awarded through a competitive grant program, provides stipend, tuition, and travel support for M.S. and Ph.D. students to intern with professional organizations. Internships are relatively rare for students in research-based STEM graduate degree programs, but a critical component of career preparation. We have three students who will be doing internships through this award:
- Nathaniel Chien (M.S. student, Earth sciences) is interning with The Nature Conservancy of Wyoming, a not-for-profit environmental agency that works on land and water conservation.
- Amanda Campbell (Ph.D. student, Earth sciences) is interning with the Upstate Freshwater Institute, a local not-for-profit research organization addressing water quality issues in the region.
- JR Slosson (M.S. student, Earth sciences) is interning with the US Geological Survey, a government agency that leads research on water resources, among other topics in the geosciences.
This is the first year that INTERN awards have been made and EMPOWER is one of the first programs selected to receive these awards. Congratulations Nathan, Amanda, and JR!
For more information about the INTERN Supplemental Awards, please see the NSF’s Dear Colleague Letter. Trainees who are interested in submitting a proposal can read the attached document: Steps for Applying for an INTERN Supplement from NSF