NETL is hosting 52 summer participants in four internship and fellowship programs at its research sites in Albany, Oregon; Morgantown, West Virginia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“At NETL, we find solutions to ensure an affordable, abundant and reliable energy future for our nation. Developing the next generation of talented engineers and scientists to help us fulfill that mission is crucial,” said Jessica Koehler, associate director, Career Management and Education Programs.

Summer interns and fellows, representing 22 states and 40 universities across the United States and Puerto Rico, reported to their NETL locations on June 2 to develop projects with their NETL mentors.

“NETL mentees do valuable research, contribute to papers published by NETL in scientific journals and advance their skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM),” said NETL researcher Scott Crawford.

Crawford understands the importance of internships from first-hand experience. As a student at the University of Pittsburgh, he served as a summer intern at NETL in 2017, which gave him skills, confidence and networking opportunities to build a solid resume and eventually join the federal workforce.

This summer marks the fourth year that Crawford has served as an NETL mentor. His 2025 mentee is Claire Thomas, a student at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.

“Serving as a mentor is a way to pay it forward and show my appreciation for the invaluable lessons and encouragement I received as a summer intern at NETL. Plus, it’s rewarding to play a part in the career development pathway of someone who has the potential to make a difference,” Crawford said.

He noted that Thomas has completed projects at Juniata involving acid mine drainage (AMD), which is water from abandoned coal mines and active mining that flows over or through sulfur-bearing materials, forming acidic solutions.

A pollutant that destroys aquatic life, AMD also contains critical minerals and rare earth elements needed to manufacture electronics, radar and sonar systems, electric vehicles and more. Crawford will oversee Thomas’ research aimed at developing technology for locating and monitoring the extraction of those valuable materials from AMD and other fossil energy feedstocks.

NETL engineer Kristyn Johnson May will mentor two interns — Sophia Georgieva from the University of Central Florida and Nhan Nguyen of Texas A&M University. This summer marks the first time Johnson May has served as a mentor.

Johnson May’s research focuses on rotating detonation engine (RDE) technology. RDEs create controlled, continuous detonation waves that rotate inside a modified gas turbine combustion chamber, which allows RDEs to avoid pressure loss and the resulting decrease in efficiency that occurs with conventional gas turbine engines.

Georgieva and Nguyen will help develop tools to classify and organize the exorbitant volume of data generated by RDE studies and monitor the effectiveness of sensors that collect RDE temperatures, pressure rates and other information.

NETL’s summer internships are assigned through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship Program, the National Nuclear Security Administration Minority Serving Institutions Internship Program, the DOE’s Scholars Program and the Consortium of Hybrid Resilient Energy Systems.

NETL is a DOE national laboratory dedicated to advancing the nation’s energy future by creating innovative solutions that strengthen the security, affordability and reliability of energy systems and natural resources. With laboratories in Albany, Oregon; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, NETL creates advanced energy technologies that support DOE’s mission while fostering collaborations that will lead to a resilient and abundant energy future for the nation.