The Rutgers Energy Institute (REI) offers summer internships to a select group of motivated undergraduate students. They are intended to help students understand the breadth of the energy challenge, from the environmental impacts that motivate the transition, to the technological innovation needed to create a viable new system and the socio-economic, policy and energy system frameworks necessary to enable wide-spread deployment. To that end, REI will support students working on research projects that address more than one of these elements: for example, examining novel solar photovoltaic technologies and how they might be integrated into the grid, or the geological potential of carbon sequestration and political barriers to its deployment.

Eligibility: You may apply if you are currently an undergraduate freshman, sophomore, or junior at any school in Rutgers University. No previous research experience is necessary, and you do not need to be a science or engineering major to apply. Students are expected to work full-time (40 hours/week) for the duration of the program, so participation is not compatible with attending summer school.

Application Submission Guidelines: Internships are competitive with awards based on recommendations and research plans.

• Candidates should submit a 1-2 page research plan detailing both the work to be carried out over the summer and the broader research agenda of which the summer study forms a part. The plan should clearly indicate how the broader research agenda addresses both scientific/engineering and societal/policy aspects of a topic in energy research, as well as the major research questions or hypotheses being investigated. Students are required to develop this plan in cooperation with a faculty advisor. Projects that include multiple faculty advisors, with expertise spanning both scientific/engineering and societal/policy aspects, are encouraged, but one of the advisors must be identified as the student's primary advisor for the summer work.
• A total of two recommendations are required, with one from the project faculty advisor (Rutgers faculty) and one additional faculty member (Rutgers or non-Rutgers).

The REI internship programs runs for 12 weeks, from May 29th through August 15th, 2013. All students are required to write an original article describing their research due in late August and present a poster of their work at the annual REI Symposium during the spring semester. Participants will receive support in the amount of $5000 (40 hours/week is expected for full payment). REI does not pay for housing.

Submission of application materials must be emailed (PDF files only) or mailed by the March 18, 2013 deadline.  Please send to REI:  71 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Attn: Beatrice Birrer. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Please contact REI Program Coordinator Beatrice Birrer with any questions.