This blog is part of a series showcasing CU Engineering students’ summer experiences in engineering: internships, research, study abroad and more.
I found my internship at the Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, D.C., browsing programs available through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, which helps students get experience in federal government.
The Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship is a fairly selective program, with about a 15 percent acceptance rate. I was working as an international oil and gas energy analyst in the Office of Fossil Energy. This meant I got to choose a country in Africa or the Middle East and write a report examining their oil and gas sector, with recommendations for ways American companies and the national labs could engage.
I chose Ghana, which has a growing energy sector. Day-to-day, I was researching Ghana's current situation with help from the Energy Information Administration (led by a CU Boulder alumna) and other analysts. My report will be used in upcoming talks with the Ghanaian Ministry of Energy. I also attended meetings on the India Gas Task Force, the South Africa Energy Task Force, and did background research on gas and oil in China and India for another analyst.
I enjoyed getting to combine my international affairs and mechanical engineering degrees, as I was able to use my analytical skills to help make infrastructure suggestions while also being aware of socioeconomic risks. I also got to experience working for the Department of Energy, which has long been a dream of mine.
While this internship has confirmed my desire to be an energy analyst and potentially pursue a path in the federal government, I believe I would choose to go along a renewable energy pathway. I would highly recommend this internship to any students who are considering working for a national lab or in federal government – most other MLE Fellows were put in national labs, but I was in D.C. due to my international affairs experience.
Ursula “Bryn” Grunwald from Boulder, Colo., is earning a BS/MS in mechanical engineering and a BA in international affairs.