The NCESR summer internship program is named after Mr. Darrell J. Nelson, who served 41 years on the Custer County Public Power District and NPPD Boards from 1970-2011, and was an advocate of lifelong learning. In 2005, Mr. Nelson proposed a partnership between NPPD and UNL for the purpose of engaging in energy sciences research. The following year, NCESR was created with NPPD’s support.
For the tenth year, the NCESR offered a summer internship opportunity in energy sciences research to undergraduate students. To be eligible to apply, the undergraduate student must pursue any major at the UNL; be in academic good standing; be between the sophomore/junior year or the junior/ senior year, which is determined by the total semester hours successfully completed; and have a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or above. As part of the application process, the undergraduate student is required to contact and secure a firm commitment from a UNL faculty member to sponsor the application and supervise the energy sciences research work the student proposed to conduct if selected.
The number of awarded summer interns increased from four to eight in 2022 and the award number stayed consistent in 2023. The amount increased to $6,000 per recipient for the summer of 2023.
The 2023 eight intern recipients and their faculty sponsors are:
Bakir Al-Ameri
Sponsor: Dr. Mohammad Ghashami, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Abbegail Bowers
Sponsor: Dr. Xiaoshan Xu, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Jarod Harris
Sponsor: Dr. Mona Bavarian, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Bryce Herrington
Sponsor: Dr. Robert Streubel, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Emma Kurtz
Sponsor: Dr. David Gosselin, School of Natural Resources
Keegan Nitsch
Sponsor: Dr. Ravi Saraf, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Khaleb Pafford
Sponsor: Dr. Cody Stolle, Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Truman Stoller
Sponsor: Dr. George Gogos, Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering
The 2023 summer interns met with staff from NPPD and staff from NCESR in a Meet and Greet session on May 25. Each intern will present a poster at the UNL Summer Research Symposium on August 3. At the end of the paid internship, each student will prepare a summary report that describes their accomplishments and/or results of their work experience in energy sciences research.