Internship at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Hi my name is Leah McGovern. I am currently working for the Department of Energy “Student Undergraduate Laboratory Internship” at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO. My Co-op is very research oriented. I am in the laboratory about 40 hours a week and I have been working on the same project for the last 6 months. The project is called “Effects of System Contaminants in Fuel Cell Performance”, basically I am working on improving the performance of Fuel cell technology in order to make it a viable/environmentally friendly replacement for the internal combustion engine used in most automobiles.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is one of seventeen Department of Energy national labs across the country. However, it’s the only lab who’s main purpose is to produce clean energy and energy efficient technologies at all scales. There is research being conducted a NREL in almost all fields of renewables: solar power, wind power, geothermal, fuel cells, batteries, etc. Not only is NREL itself an innovative environment filled with some of the most intelligent scientist and researchers I have ever met. But it’s also located in one of the best places in the country. Golden is a beautiful town located right at the base of the Rocky Mountains. The pastimes here include rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, etc. and basically anything that is outdoorsy. If you are at all interested in attending grad school, or just getting a feel for what working in a laboratory environment is like, I would highly recommend applying to the Department of Energy SULI program.