BRIGHT FUTURE IN ENERGY SCHOLARSHIP
The Bright Future in Energy Scholarship Competition
INL’s Bright Future in Energy Scholarship Competition is open to 11th- and 12th-grade students interested in pursuing a postsecondary education and career focused on science, technology, engineering or math. With funding provided by Battelle Energy Alliance, INL expects to award a total of $25,000 in scholarships to winners and runners-up.
Participating students will research one of three science-related prompts and prepare a virtual presentation for an expert panel of INL judges.
Submissions are now closed. 2025 applications will open fall 2024.
Criteria:
- You must be a high school junior or senior and a U.S. citizen.
- If you make it to the final round, your live presentation will be in February.
- You will have 10-15 minutes to present your topic live to a panel of INL experts and 10-15 minutes for a Q&A session live. Your full presentation and Q&A session will be 20-30 min. long. It will be recorded.
- Please upload your slides using PDF or PowerPoint format. You only need to upload the PDF or PowerPoint version of your slides and do not need to upload yourself presenting them. You will only present them during your live presentation, if you qualify.
- You will be using Zoom and screen sharing your slides during your presentation. A calendar invite and link will be sent to you. Make sure to download and test Zoom, including video and microphone before your live presentation.
- You can refer to past recorded presentations here.
- If you would like to reference the rubric, contact Adrienne Petrovic to send it to you.
Bright Future in Energy Scholarship Prompts:
- What role does nuclear energy play in helping the world achieve a future with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions? How do the benefits and risks of nuclear energy compare with other existing energy technologies?
- How do we develop a truly sustainable recycling method that is economically feasible, environmentally responsible and socially justifiable? What role can such a program play in helping the world achieve a future with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions?
- Consider your nearest major city. What are the cybersecurity concerns associated with operating this city’s government, energy and transportation infrastructure? How can these concerns be communicated in a way that creates greater cybersecurity awareness in schools, communities and industry?
Questions? Contact Adrienne Petrovic.
Congratulations to the 2024 Bright Future in Energy Scholarship Competition winners!
Top scholar: Jisong Ryu
Ryu studied the question, “How do we develop a truly sustainable recycling method that is economically feasible, environmentally responsible and socially justifiable? What role can such a program play in helping the world achieve a future with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions?” She earned the grand prize for her project, “Nature’s Recyclers: Harnessing Microbe Capabilities to Achieve a Net-Zero Future,” studying how microbial inoculation could enable sustainable recycling practices and how this technology could be scaled up to commercial and industrial uses.
Ryu expects to graduate in 2025. While she has not settled on a university yet, she plans to pursue a degree that matches her interest in climate science and policy.
Runner Up: Jhanavi Hegde
Hegde studied the question, “Consider your nearest major city. What are the cybersecurity concerns associated with operating this city’s government, energy and transportation infrastructure? How can these concerns be communicated in a way that creates greater cybersecurity awareness in schools, communities and industry?” She earned a scholarship for her project, “Confronting Cybersecurity Concerns,” studying how improved cybersecurity awareness could reduce human error and reduce the effects of cyberattacks on government infrastructure and transportation networks.
Hegde expects to graduate in 2025. While she has not settled on a university yet, she plans to pursue a degree in data science with a possible minor in environmental science.
Runner Up: Chance Krueger
Krueger studied the question, “What role does nuclear energy play in helping the world achieve a future with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions? How do the benefits and risks of nuclear energy compare with other existing energy technologies?” He earned a scholarship for his project, “Nuclear Energy: The Future of America’s Industry,” studying how nuclear energy plays a role in varied commercial sectors like medicine, transportation and industry – in addition to energy.
Krueger graduated in 2024. He attends East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in medical physics.
