The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced more than $5 million in scholarships and fellowships for students across the USA pursuing degrees in nuclear energy and engineering. The awards are provided through the Office of Nuclear Energy’s (NE) University Nuclear Leadership Program (UNLP) and include 61 undergraduate scholarships and 28 graduate fellowships for students at 32 colleges and universities in 23 states.
UNLP will invest in the next generation of leaders who will research innovative nuclear energy solutions to today’s climate challenges and help the United States meet the Biden Administration’s ambitious goals of 100 percent clean electricity by 2035, and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, said DOE.
“Nuclear power plays a key role in achieving the President’s climate goals, and it is important that we invest in our country’s future, through technologies and workforce development,” said Andrew Griffith, NE Acting Assistant Secretary. “DOE is empowering the next generation of scientists and engineers who can find nuclear energy solutions that ultimately lower emissions with even greater performance than today’s very capable technologies.”
UNLP will award scholarships of $5,000 a year to two-year institutions where students are training as nuclear energy-related technicians. Four-year institutions will receive scholarships of $10,000 a year, and graduate fellows will receive $52,000 each year for three years to help pay for graduate studies and research. Fellowships also include $5,000 to fund an internship at a DOE national laboratory or other approved research facility to strengthen the ties between students and DOE’s energy research programmes.
UNLP was previously known as the Integrated University Program (IUP). Since 2009, the programme has awarded more than 900 scholarships and fellowships totalling approximately $55 million.
