With two young children and a busy research job, Will Strahl did not have a lot of extra time to prepare for the third annual NETL SLAM, a contest in which early-career researchers explain complex projects in clear, easy-to-understand language.

Thirty-six schools will be represented at the 2026 Western Pennsylvania Science Bowl (WPASB), which will be held Friday, Feb. 27, for middle schools and Saturday, Feb. 28, for high schools. The Community College of Allegheny County South Campus in West Mifflin will host both days of the tournament.

NETL has released insights from the Critical Minerals and Materials Matchmaker (CM3) survey, an online information resource created to help connect activities across the critical minerals and materials (CMM) supply chain.

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $175 million in funding for six projects to modernize, retrofit, and extend the useful life of coal-fired power plants that serve rural and remote communities across the United States, keeping dependable energy sources online, strengthening grid reliability, and helping keep electricity costs low for American families and businesses.

A talented team from Mountaineer Middle School and a highly skilled squad from Morgantown High School took top honors at the 2026 West Virginia Science Bowl (WVSB) co-hosted by NETL and advanced to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Science Bowl to be held in Washington, D.C this spring.

Final preparations are underway for the 2026 West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania Science Bowls, exciting academic challenges designed to test middle and high school students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and inspire the next generation to pursue rewarding STEM-related careers.

NETL brought its considerable critical minerals and materials knowledge to bear while helping to create the Critical Minerals Leadership Academy (CMLA), a program focused on building capacity and expertise in the field. The University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources hosted the event, which convened graduate students and early career professionals.

NETL has launched ClaiMM, the first and only digital platform dedicated to supporting U.S. research across the full critical minerals and materials (CMM) value chain, unlocking digital tools and data from source to supply. Hosted on NETL’s Energy Data eXchange (EDX®), ClaiMM gives CMM researchers, scientists and stakeholders access to curated CMM datasets, databases, models, tools and services within a secure, authoritative and adaptive digital research library.

NETL research has unlocked a low-temperature synthesis process to turn America’s coal into critical mineral graphite with a lower processing intensity, adding to the domestic supply chain and addressing commercial market needs for several key industries as well.

NETL’s new patented nickel (Ni)-based alloy, its patented composition, method of manufacture and heat treatment will advance the reliability of next generation power generation and other applications while lowering operating costs.