Education Impacts FY21

Inspiring and investing in Idaho's future workforce

For more than 70 years, INL has provided outstanding educational and employment opportunities in Idaho. To keep its talent pipeline primed, INL supports science, technology, engineering and math education – STEM – at all levels. The field is wide open for a new generation of talented individuals to step up and tackle the major challenges that we work on.

Accomplishments and data are from fiscal year 2021.

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Interns from Idaho schools

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STEM kits distributed to rural and remote Idaho schools

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K-12 students impacted

University Partnerships

Provided opportunities for interns

INL’s University Partnerships team works to find, recruit and nurture talented early-career individuals in a variety of specialties. INL hosted 160 interns, 11 graduate fellows, and six post-doctoral researchers from Idaho colleges and universities.

INL was recognized as a Top 100 internship program nationally by Vault.com. These rankings are based on an annual survey of more than 11,000 current and former interns. Recognition is determined by their responses to a series of questions on the quality and impact of their internship and the overall value of the program.

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Welcomed two distinguished postdocs

INL awarded Russell L. Heath Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships to two Boise State University College of Engineering alums. After completing their doctoral research at Boise State, Corey Efaw and Kevin Vallejo will join the lab to study next-generation battery technology and advanced nuclear materials, respectively.

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Supported College of Eastern Idaho

INL is a proud partner in developing industry-relevant courses at the College of Eastern Idaho. Many of these programs, like radiation safety and information assurance & cybersecurity, are unique in a community college setting. INL also welcomed 14 students for practicums, which provide field experience for students under professional, experienced guidance while being evaluated by INL managers for potential employment.

Earned Outstanding Community Partner Award

The Idaho State University College of Technology recognized INL as its 2021 Outstanding Community Partner. INL has been a close partner with the ISU College of Technology since creation of the Energy Systems Technology & Education Center (ESTEC) in 2007. The lab continues to support ESTEC and the College of Technology financially, through curriculum development, and by providing internship and employment opportunities to hundreds of students and alumni.

Contributed to talent pipeline

INL participates in the Talent Pipeline Management Initiative, a program co-run by the Idaho Workforce Development Council, an independent office under the governor and the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, a business network that represents about 300 Idaho employers of all sizes. Participants follow a six month curriculum to become better advocates for business development in the state. INL’s participation encourages the development of programs that will benefit the lab and local industries.

Supported employee education

INL invests in employees, providing the opportunity to further their education and professional development. During 2021, 264 employees were enrolled in degree programs at Boise State University, College of Eastern Idaho, Idaho State University and University of Idaho. This program supports employee growth while investing in Idaho’s colleges and universities.
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K-12 STEM

Created 'Learning from Home' resources

In 2021, INL’s K-12 STEM program expanded its online offerings by adding to INL’s “Learning from Home” resource library. There are more than 60 lessons designed specifically for parents and their children to do at home in less than an hour, using only materials commonly found in the home. A host of other resources for families, students and educators are also available.

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Awarded Bright Future scholarships

INL launched a statewide Bright Future in Nuclear scholarship competition for high school students planning to study nuclear science or a related STEM field. Students proposed a solution related to a question on nuclear energy and presented to a panel of judges from INL’s Nuclear Science and Technology directorate. One $4,000 scholarship was awarded to the winner of the competition, Sarah Cole, and a $2,500 scholarship was awarded to the runner-up, Andrew Guillen.

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Organized STEM Scholar summer camps

INL launched its first STEM Scholars Summer Program for more than 200 students in grades 1-12. The one-week sessions during July and August focused on age-appropriate scientific research questions around the theme of “Creating Change for a Sustainable Future,” and consisted of rigorous and engaging STEM programming and field work.

Sponsored Hispanic Youth Summit

INL is a proud sponsor of the Hispanic Youth Summit, an annual event presented by the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs to introduce high school students to STEM pathways and leadership skills. The 2021 summits were held at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, Boise State University, and Idaho State University providing an opportunity for 2,073 underrepresented and underserved students to explore STEM career pathways.

Partnered with Shoshone-Bannock School District

INL’s K-12 Education Program formalized a partnership with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. The agreement builds upon the capabilities of each institution to form a demonstration project for career technical education, STEM pathways, and job placement of tribal students. Work has begun to implement high-quality STEM curriculum in grades 6-12 leading to STEM school designation, create career technical education and work-based learning pathways in Shoshone-Bannock Jr./Sr. High School, and to create STEM work-based learning opportunities and pathways into higher education for tribal students.

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Built STEM trailers

Three mobile STEM maker spaces were created as the result of a grant from INL. The grant was used to fund three new mobile, pop-up maker spaces specifically designed to serve rural and underserved communities with STEM-focused learning. The spaces were created for Magic Valley Children’s Museum, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Twin Falls and the Shoshone-Bannock tribes.

Donated STEM kits

INL adapted to remote learning and mobilized resources to find creative ways to provide high-quality STEM outreach and learning experiences for all students by designing, preparing and distributing over 8,850 STEM kits. This provided opportunities for students in rural and remote Idaho schools to follow along with virtual video workshops for a safe, hands-on learning experience. STEM kits were designed for learning experiences associated with Nuclear Science Week, the Mars rover landing, Idaho Hispanic Youth Summit and Earth Day.

Offered virtual job shadowing

INL launched a work-based learning program with monthly virtual job shadows for high school students. These events included a welcome from senior leadership, rotations through interactive job shadow sessions with INL STEM professionals followed by a panel presentation on workforce needs and education pathways.

Mentored Women in Engineering

INL partnered with the University of Idaho’s College of Engineering Women’s Mentoring Program and the Society of Women Engineers. The lab provided 15 female engineers as mentors for over 30 female engineering undergraduates and provided recruiting and outreach to Idaho high school students interested in pursuing engineering degrees.

Offered Coding Coalition

Year two of the INL Coding Coalition supported extracurricular cybersecurity competitions in Idaho high schools by providing $1,500 in grant funding, resources and INL employee support to the first 30 eligible advisers. Six high school students from Coding Coalition teams were named National Cyber Scholars after taking part in a national competition hosted by the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation. The students competed in a grueling 48-hour competition and placed in the top 2% in the nation.

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