2024 DOE Scholars - Internships - Research at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Organization
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Reference Code
DOE-Scholars-2024-WIPP-CBFO
How to Apply

Click on Apply below to start your application.

You are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible as offers will be made as eligible candidates are identified.

Application Deadline
4/15/2024 8:00:00 AM Eastern Time Zone
Description

The DOE Scholars Program offers unique opportunities that introduce students to the mission and operations of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) Program. The WIPP Site is the Nation's repository for defense related Transuranic Waste. It is deep geological salt mine 2150 ft. underground in the Salado formation underneath southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. The facility receives shipments of prepackaged waste from multiple generator sites across the U.S. and emplaces that waste into rooms which have been mined out of the salt formation at depth. The CBFO has a number of areas where research opportunities exist for participants. Areas include the following:

• Maintenance of the mine requires support of the exposed mine surfaces, known in the mining industry as ground control. Participants would be conducting research into the methods and efficacy of current and proposed ground control methods.
• The WIPP mine is ventilated by a suite of forced air exhaust fans. Participants would be involved in mine ventilation airflow studies being conducted by DOE operating contractor and DOE to validate current airflow assumptions and potentially explore solutions for improved ventilation in the WIPP underground.
• The waste which is received at WIPP undergoes rigorous investigations to ensure the suitability of the waste to be safely handled, packaged, and disposed of in the WIPP repository by waste disposal workers.  The program to ensure these conditions are met prior to packaging the waste is known as the National TRU Program (NTP). It is run out of the Carlsbad Field Office. The NTP monitors the programs and processes which characterize the waste for hazardous constituents, and which ensure it will meet all of the WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria. Participants would be conducting research into how waste streams are analyzed and approved for shipment to WIPP. The research would look into programs run at the generator sites but would all be conducted at the Carlsbad Field Office.
• Finally, participants would team with federal staff in either the Office of Business, Environmental Protection, or the Office of Program Management where they will research the day-to-day conduct of business within a DOE Field Office. The appointees will be assigned a mentor and will conduct research and study tasks to gain understanding of the interactions and responsibilities of the assigned office and its relation to accomplishment of the mission at WIPP.

Participation in all of these activities would be coordinated through the Carlsbad Field Office's Office of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (OWIPP) with the participants reporting the results of their participation to their assigned mentors.

Participant Benefits

Selected candidates will receive a stipend as support for their living and other expenses during this appointment. Stipend start at $700/week and are determined by DOE officials and are based on the candidate’s academic and professional background. Inbound/Outbound expenses, not to exceed $1,000, incurred in relocating more than 50 miles from the address shown on the application may be reimbursed.

Length of Appointment

Appointments duration typically ranges from 8-12 weeks, but other appointments periods may be possible.

Nature of Appointment

The participant will not enter into an employee/employer relationship with ORISE, ORAU, DOE, or any other office or agency.  Instead, the participant will be affiliated with ORISE for the administration of the appointment through the ORISE letter of appointment and Terms of Appointment.

A complete application consists of:

• Profile Information
• Essay Questions (goals, experiences, and skills relevant to the DOE Scholars Program)
• Resume (PDF)
• Transcripts/Academic Records - Unofficial transcripts or copies of the student academic records printed by the applicant or by academic advisors from internal institutional systems may be submitted. Transcripts/Academic Records must include name of the academic institution, name of the student, completed/in progress coursework and grades. Documents must have all social security numbers, student identification numbers, and/or dates of birth removed (blanked out, blackened out, made illegible, etc.) prior to uploading into the application system.
• Recommendation - You are encouraged to request a recommendation from a professional who can speak to your abilities and potential for success as well as your scientific capabilities and personal characteristics. Recommenders will be asked to complete a recommendation in Zintellect. 

All documents must be submitted via Zintellect. All application components must be received in the system in order to be considered.

Additional Information

For more information on the DOE Scholars Program, visit https://orise.orau.gov/doescholars  or contact us at [email protected] .

The DOE Scholars Program offers multiple opportunities during the year to accommodate the needs and schedule of individual sponsoring offices. Opportunities may have different eligibility requirements, benefits and deadlines. To be considered you must apply to each opportunity individually.

Connect with ORISE...on the GO! Download the new ORISE GO mobile app in the Apple App Store  or Google Play Store  to help you stay engaged, connected, and informed during your ORISE experience and beyond!

Qualifications

This opportunity is open to students who meet the following qualifications:

• Be a U.S. Citizen at the time of application.
• Be 18 years of age or older at the time of application.
• Must be pursuing a degree or have a degree in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) discipline, public policy, law or other fields that supports the DOE mission.

Preferred Skills:

• Good verbal communications skills (potentially speaking to groups)
• Good writing skills
• Familiarity or prior mining experience either working or inspections in mines
• Familiarity with operations at Nuclear facilities
• Radworker qualification at other facilities
• Prior experience wearing respiratory protection gear

Additional Comments:

The WIPP Site is a remote government facility located in the Chihuahuan desert of southeastern New Mexico. The nearest towns to the site are Carlsbad and Hobbs, New Mexico, which are 30 and 40 miles respectively from the site. The appointment will require the participants to commute daily in a private vehicle. Participants choosing to reside in Carlsbad during the appointment may have the opportunity to join a government carpool. A stipend will be provided to the selected participants.

Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: High School Diploma/GED, Associate's Degree, Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.
• Discipline(s):
  • Business (11 )
  • Chemistry and Materials Sciences (12 )
  • Communications and Graphics Design (6 )
  • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (17 )
  • Earth and Geosciences (21 )
  • Engineering (27 )
  • Environmental and Marine Sciences (14 )
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (47 )
  • Mathematics and Statistics (11 )
  • Physics (16 )
  • Science & Engineering-related (1 )
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (16 )
• Age: Must be 18 years of age