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Workforce Development & Education

A Berkeley Lab Site

GEM

Graduate Degrees for Minorities for Engineering and Science

Program Description

The GEM program at Berkeley Lab is open to GEM fellows at the master’s and doctoral levels. It aims to cultivate a diverse workforce in the next generation of scientists and engineers. The GEM program specifically recruits African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latino, and American Indian/Native students. The GEM program supports these under-represented groups and helps them access more opportunities in science and engineering. The program begins with a summer internship to provide hands-on research experiences at a DOE national laboratory; the initial step in developing early-career hires to support a diverse workforce at Berkeley Lab. Deeper mentoring follows as Lab scientists may serve on GEM fellow’s dissertation committee and support pathways to future collaborations. Building on this experience, mentors and fellows explore employment opportunities with a letter of intent to hire those fellows who may be a good fit for Berkeley Lab.

Internships are 10 weeks during the summer term (June through August).

Research Interests and Special Skills

We encourage you to look at Berkeley Lab’s website to learn more about the Lab and any research projects that you would find interesting. You may view the Lab’s various scientific divisions at the Scientific Divisions web page. It may also be useful to use keywords (research areas, project titles, or Berkeley Lab staff names) in the search field on Elements and Berkeley Lab News Center. Learn more about WD&E mentors’ current research on our News and Events page.

Reaching Out to a Researcher

If you find a researcher whose project sounds like a good match, please contact that person to see if he or she is interested in hosting an intern. We have found this personal interaction to be a very effective way to match interns and mentors. You can get contact information for any scientist at Berkeley Lab by simply clicking “Directory” in the banner at the top of any page on the Lab’s website.

Have the researcher contact Nakeiah Harrell, Internship Manager, at nharrell@lbl.gov. Feel free to email Nakeiah with information about projects or researchers of interest, and Workforce Development & Education (WD&E) may contact them on your behalf as well.

Researchers are very busy and it may take some tenacity to connect with them. We encourage you to reach out to others in the department (e.g., an administrator) who may be helpful in redirecting you to other scientists with projects that would be a good fit for you as well.

Initiative is a very desirable quality in candidates for our programs; demonstrating initiative and your passion for science is likely to make a positive impact on our scientific staff. Connecting with a scientist and discussing your passion, acumen, and any collaborative opportunities via a WD&E internship is the best avenue to a successful placement. In your application, please speak to your passion for science and how it relates to some of the research we do at Berkeley Lab. This is helpful when mentors are considering applicants. Note: Lab experience is not required for acceptance into the program.

The program is sponsored by and managed in partnership with the National GEM Consortium.

MENTORING OPPORTUNITIES

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