Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research (NCESR) Energy Sciences Research Summer Internships for Undergraduates − 2025
Undergraduate Summer Internship. The Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research (NCESR) is taking applications for the Energy Sciences Research – Summer Internships for Undergraduates. Up to eight internships are made possible through NCESR with support from the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), which provides electricity service in all or parts of 84 of Nebraska’s 93 counties.
Eligibility. To be eligible to apply, the undergraduate student must:
1. Be pursuing any major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL).
2. Be in academic good standing as defined in the Academic Policies.
3. Either be going into their junior or senior year in the 2025 fall semester, which is determined by the total semester hours successfully completed as detailed in the Academic Policies. Seniors in the 2024-2025 academic year are not eligible unless they are starting graduate school at UNL in the fall of 2025.
4. Have a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or above.
NOTE: A previous recipient of this internship is eligible to apply again if the above criteria are met.
Funds. Information about the funds is as follows:
1. The maximum amount is up to or equal to six thousand dollars ($6,000). The actual personnel costs and the actual cost of printing the research poster for the summer session are the only eligible costs. All other costs, such as office and laboratory supplies, are the responsibility of the faculty sponsor. All living costs, such as lodging, food and transportation, are the responsibility of the student.
2. The funding award will be issued to the faculty sponsor in 2025. The faculty sponsor and the faculty sponsor’s home department will be responsible for all personnel actions and financial documentation.
3. Facilities & Administrative (F&A) costs are not applicable.
4. The funds will be authorized for direct costs incurred from May 19, 2025 – August 29, 2025.
5. NCESR will retain all unexpended funds.
6. All University rules and regulations will apply.
7. An additional $1,000 travel fund can be requested by the faculty sponsor to cover travel expenses for the intern to present the research conducted during the summer internship at a relevant conference by May 2, 2026. The intern must be enrolled at UNL during the time of the conference.
8. Deadline. The deadline to complete the application and submit via DocuSign is Friday, February 14, 2025, at 5:00 p.m., CT.
Requirements. The applicant is responsible to complete items “1.” through “3.” as described under “Part II* Application Requirements” of the application form. All items with an asterisk are required for a valid application.
Submission. The undergraduate student is responsible to include one PDF in the application — with the required items in the order described under “Part II* Application Requirements” of the application form and submit via DocuSign at https://go.unl.edu/ncesr_2025_summer_undergrad_internship_application by the deadline.
Selection. Each applicant and their faculty sponsor will be notified no later than the end of March 2025 of the selection decisions. All decisions by the review committee are final.
Recipient “Meet and Greet.” The interns and their faculty sponsor will be invited and expected to attend and talk about the internship at a meeting, which will be scheduled in late May/early June 2025.
Poster Session. The intern will register and prepare a poster to present their summer research at the 2025 UNL Summer Research Symposium poster session. This event is usually scheduled in early August. The research doesn’t have to be complete by this time.
Report. At the end of the internship, the student will be required to submit 1) a summary, which describes the results of the energy sciences research and the work experience, 2) a thank you letter addressed to NPPD and NCESR, and 3) a brief testimonial about their experience to help promote the internships. The faculty sponsor will review the report before the student submits to NCESR. The due date for the submission to NCESR is September 30, 2025.
Previous Recipients. To see information about the research projects of the recipients selected from previous years go to Undergraduate Summer Internship Posters.
Questions. For questions, contact Sue Wesely, NCESR Administrative Associate at swesely4@unl.edu.
Opportunity through the collaboration with the UNL Nebraska Summer Research Program (SRP) and NCESR.
SRP offers undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in nationally funded research groups across multiple disciplines. SRP provides interaction with other summer research students through seminars/workshops and social events. This allows scholars to get to know students conducting research in other science, technology, engineering, and other disciplines and provides more opportunities for you to develop friendships with students from across the country. Through the collaboration of SRP and NCESR, the NCESR interns will be informed of these activities and have the opportunity to participate if interested.
Testimonials from past NCESR Interns.
Julia Baron – “I highly recommend the NCESR summer internship to all who contemplate applying. This internship afforded me the opportunity to hone the skills I learned in the classroom by tackling real engineering problems related to green energy. This summer I was able to apply my passion for renewable energy while growing more confident in my abilities as an engineer. The people at NCESR and my faculty mentor guided me through my research and helped me refine my soft skills through presentations at symposiums. Part of the internship included a nuclear power station tour where we got to see clean energy at work in Nebraska. The NCESR summer internship is an excellent opportunity for all who apply.”
Truman Koehler – “The NCESR summer internship gave me the opportunity to further my knowledge and work on my career over the summer. I learned a lot of useful skills, some that are useful for future research, and others that will contribute to my daily life. A major highlight of this experience was the tour of the Cooper Nuclear Station. I have always been incredibly interested in nuclear power, and this internship experience gave me the chance to see it all up close. This summer internship was a fantastic opportunity to improve my skills and learn about research, and also to learn about the thing that got me into research in the first place. I am incredibly grateful for the summer internship for giving me such great experiences.”
Samuel Peterson – “The NCESR Summer Research Internship is a very valuable experience for any aspiring scientist to participate in. I personally looked at the challenges with energy storage by developing new, rechargeable batteries. This is one of the many developments required in the field of energy to make the world a more sustainable place. Whether or not someone is passionate about the energy industry, it is undeniable that there is great value to energy research and the NCESR Summer Research Internship gives great exposure to students for becoming great scientists and problem solvers. NCESR and NPPD care about giving the interns a great experience and have been very beneficial in my growth as someone getting an engineering degree. I will always pride myself on being eager to learn more about solutions to the world’s biggest challenges and this summer research opportunity gave me a great chance to grow as both a researcher and engineer.”
Joiner Pfister – “I’d rate my experience as an energy center intern a 10/10. The NCESR was a great opportunity for me to expand my horizons and connect with other undergraduate researchers – I’d go so far as to say make friends. It’s worth applying to for the Cooper Nuclear Station tour alone, but they do also pay you. Seriously, if you’re considering doing undergraduate research over the summer, particularly within the sphere of energy and environmental sustainability, give this opportunity your full attention.”
Jagger Spiering – “Being a part of the NCESR summer research program has been a great benefit. It helped me to truly realize that working in a research lab is my number one career interest, and I do not know how else I would have come to realize this if not for the program. It is even better to get this experience when part of a program that brings together so many different fields all with the same goal. I am so glad that the NCESR and NPPD have allowed for me to have such a great experience over the summer.”
Truman Stoller – “Throughout the NCESR internship, I was able to learn from graduate students and professors in my lab as well as about nuclear energy through a visit to Cooper Nuclear Station. These experiences have been vital for me to get experience in a lab and learn more about the energy we rely on as a society. Going to the nuclear station opened my eyes to how strict of a regiment they run and that safety for the public is of utmost importance. This also gave me a chance to see a possible career in the future in the energy industry. I also enjoyed the summer research symposium presentation that I gave. This allowed me to present my research via a poster that I had created. This is a great opportunity to get in front of people and show them what I have done.”
Grace Van Cott – “With this grant, I was able to fund an amazing summer research experience with an environmental and energy focus. The program offered great networking opportunities to talk with other faculty and students interested in different energy research fields. We were also able to go on an exciting, guided tour of the Cooper Nuclear Station here in Nebraska which I never would have been able to experience otherwise. At the end of the program, I had the chance to share my research results with other students in the program and at the UNL summer research symposium. This program has helped me develop skills such as data analysis, efficient experimental design, and unique microbiological lab techniques with methanogens that will be useful in the bioenergy field. I would absolutely recommend this program to students interested in getting involved with energy sciences and research.”
University of Nebraska does not discriminate based upon any protected status. Please see go.unl.edu/nondiscrimination.
230 Prem S. Paul Research Center at Whittier School
2200 Vine Street
Lincoln, NE 68588-0857
(402) 472-6082
http://ncesr.unl.edu