News Archives

School of Engineering hosts Department of Energy National Lab Day

March 8, 2018 - By Kim Delker

The University of New Mexico School of Engineering hosted a day March 26 dedicated to Department of Energy national laboratories from around the country.

Officials from the New Mexico national laboratories, Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory, were in attendance, as well as representatives from the remaining 11 of the 17 Department of Energy national laboratories around the country, said Edl Schamiloglu, associate dean for research in the School of Engineering.

FermilabEvents began at 8:30 a.m. in Centennial Engineering Center’s auditorium with opening remarks by Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Terry Wallace. The title of his keynote address was “The Importance of University Partnerships with the DOE National Laboratories.”

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., various panel discussions were  held in Centennial Engineering Center’s auditorium:

9 a.m. and noon: Student Internships in Their Own Words. Students share their internship experiences at the DOE national laboratories.

10 a.m. and 1 p.m.: STEM Subject-Matter Experts. DOE scientists and engineers discuss their research and careers.

11 a.m. and 2 p.m. DOE National Laboratory Employment How-To. Learn how to successfully apply for jobs and internships at the DOE national laboratories.

In addition, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a recruiting fair was be held in Stamm Commons, featuring representatives from 13 DOE laboratories.

Participating labs, in addition to Sandia and Los Alamos, were Ames Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. 

Schamiloglu said that although the event and recruiting fair has an engineering focus, the target was also anyone who is in the sciences, as well as other disciplines, such as business. Opportunities exist for both U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens. Undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral students are welcome to participate. Although the primary target was university students, interested students in high school were also invited to attend.

This is the first time this event has been held at UNM. Previously, it has been held at historically black institutions, but since many such institutions tend to focus on the humanities, the Department of Energy decided to choose a still-diverse institution (UNM is a Hispanic-serving institution) but one that has a strong STEM focus.