Lab attracts record number of students this summer

Students are “pipeline” for the future

Student Symposium judge Tinh Nguyen of Bioenergy & Environmental Science talks with presenter Hilary Briggs of Genome Science JGI/Los Alamos. Briggs won an award in the Biology category at this summer's symposium.

August 31, 2010—This year, the Laboratory attracted a record number of student interns, giving them the opportunity to conduct exciting and important research in a wide range of disciplines. The Student Programs Office, in particular, strove to create an enjoyable and intellectually stimulating experience for the more than 1,300 students who interned in both technical and nontechnical fields. In addition to students, a record number of postdocs–415–are working at Los Alamos this year.

“Student interns and postdocs contribute significantly to the programmatic work of the Laboratory, while further enhancing their academic and research skills,” said program manager for the Laboratory’s Education and Postdoc Office, Dave Foster. “They represent the primary ‘pipeline’ for future employee hires,” he added, noting that 29 percent of all current employees first joined the Lab as student interns or postdocs.

The Lab attracted both international and U.S. students from universities such as the University of New Mexico, New Mexico Tech, Texas A&M, Stanford, and many others.

Establishing networks

“Regardless of their ultimate career destinations, these students and postdocs establish lasting networks of professional engagement with the LANL community throughout their careers,” added Foster.

Over the past four years, both the overall number and the (ethnic) diversity of student interns has grown, said Foster. This year also has seen an increase in funding for students from the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Winning prizes

Materials science and engineering major Cameron Tracy interned for the second time this summer. Tracy and his mentor Erik Luther continued their work from last summer: researching the development of inert matrix nuclear fuels. Last year, Tracy won first place in the Engineering category at the DOE-sponsored Science and Energy Research Challenge. 

Publishing research

Irena Ossola of Computational Earth Science (EES-16) has been working with her mentor, Brian Travis the past two summers on an ongoing project that seeks to better understand the effects of global warming on permafrost, She has now prepared her research for publication. Originally from Santa Fe, Ossola graduated from Columbia University with a degree in environmental science and a concentration in sustainable development. She plans to attend graduate school to pursue a doctorate in environmental science or environmental engineering. 

Having fun and perfecting technologies

Stacy Shiffler, who is double majoring in physics and math at the University of Arizona, interned at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies in Albuquerque this summer and also conducted research at Los Alamos’ CINT. Shiffler studied the photosynthetic antennae of the Chlorobaculum Tepidum bacterium. “I would consider it to be by far the most enjoyable summer internship I have had the last three years,” she said.

Lara Preteska, a student at New Mexico State University, worked on developing methods of microbial phylotyping. She and her mentor, Cliff Han of Bioscience Division, are developing a method of bacterial identification from environmental samples that would be faster and less dependent on culture media. Preteska presented their work at the Student Symposium in August

Opportunities abound

The Lab offers students a plethora of programs, competitions, and other activities through the Students’ Association, the Community Programs Office, and other organizations. Events, such as DOE’s Science and Engineering Research Challenge (SERCh) and the annual Student Symposium, give students an opportunity to present to their peers and the public the hard work they’ve done during their internship. (A complete list of Student Symposium award winners can be found on the Student Symposium site http://www.lanl.gov/education/symposium/.)

In addition, every summer the LANL Institutes, as well as the Material Physics and Applications and Materials Science and Technology divisions, organize the Summer Lecture Series. Well-known scientists and researchers from across the Lab give talks on their different areas of expertise. While these talks are aimed at students, they are open to all employees.

Students also are offered the opportunity to tour various Lab facilities, such as CINT, the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), and Los Alamos’s National High Magnetic Field Lab.

More information about LANL student interns and student events is available on the Students’ Association Web site at http://www.lanl.gov/students/. For a list of LANL educational programs, go to http://community.lanl.gov/source/orgs/cpo/education_programs/lanl_education_programs.shtml.