Department of Energy Leaders Visit Campus, Share More About Research Partnerships
Leaders from the Office of Science and the National Laboratories Leadership Council with the Department of Energy (DOE) traveled to the Sun City and visited campus on Feb. 13, 2024. The goal was to increase visibility of programs available to faculty and students, and to learn more about their funded research taking place on campus.
The Fostering Great Minds & Great Ideas event was packed with networking opportunities, tours of UTEP’s laboratories and collaboration with leaders from across the nation.
The visit was led by Asmeret Berhe, Ph.D., director for the Office of Science with the U.S. Department of Energy.
"The Department of Energy's Office of Science and its laboratories are the largest employer of scientific talent in the United States," UTEP President Heather Wilson said. "They partner with universities to develop talent and advance discovery and its application. We are very fortunate to have had them visit our campus."
UTEP's faculty and students already have good relationships with several national laboratories, but this visit marked the potential for further partnerships in research, internships and career development.
"Having taught at a Hispanic-serving institute, I really have appreciated the work that happens in El Paso, the community that you all have and the incredible contributions that you continue to make for the nation's science enterprise," Berhe said. "We are all delighted to be here."
Ping Ge, Ph.D., the director of the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists with the Office of Science, attended the event, presenting to students about the career opportunities at the DOE, including ones for freshmen and all the way to recent graduates. Her first time visiting UTEP, she said she was excited for the opportunity to expand the Office of Science's reach in the southwest and for all the possibilities for future scientists and educators.
"It makes your resume look really great," Ge said. "Employers recognize these national names. They see them and they know students work in a real lab on real projects with experienced mentors. These students stand out."
The day began with an introduction to UTEP, Hispanic Serving Research Universities and an overview of collaborations between UTEP and national laboratories and was followed by a networking mixer between national lab leaders and UTEP students and faculty. In a round-robin style mixer, they had the opportunity to ask questions about careers, research, funding and more from the leaders, building their networks and exchanging contact information for further connection.
Anabel Renteria, Ph.D., an assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering who began teaching at UTEP in Fall 2023, said the event was especially helpful as a new professor finding her footing.
"It's been great being able to talk to people and make connections in the field, especially to find potential collaborators," Renteria said.
National lab leaders then got to tour labs and hear directly from UTEP researchers working on DOE-funded projects at the Interdisciplinary Research Building. Split into two groups, they toured some of UTEP's premier engineering labs, learning about projects including advanced materials research, advanced battery manufacturing and cybersecurity. The second half of the group had the chance to hear from multidisciplinary researchers from the College of Science working on projects inspired by modern-day energy challenges in quantum science, computing and physics."
In reflecting on current and future partnerships with UTEP, Tony Peurrung, deputy laboratory director and chief research officer with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, said he was eager to further connect with UTEP researchers.
"I love that UTEP is an R1 school that's also open access," Peurrung said. "There's a leadership will here. UTEP was all in, and [UTEP employees] have this ability to organize, make plans and execute those plans. That is refreshing. There's a significant alignment between what you do and what we do. Those are all the reasons I love UTEP."
Visitors came to the University from NETL, Argonne, Ames, BNL, ORNL, PPPL, PNNL Jlab, Idaho National Lab, LBL, Fermi, NREL, Sandia National Lab, SLAC, and LANL. Leaders from universities within the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities, including the University of Texas at San Antonio, University of North Texas, University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Central Florida, joined as well.
Last Updated on February 15, 2024 at 12:00 AM | Originally published February 15, 2024
By Julia Hettiger UTEP Marketing and Communications
