Intern – Community Air Quality Monitoring

About the role#

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is seeking an intern to join the Impacts Analysis Group within the Strategic Energy Analysis Center. This role supports a collaboration with the Kern Community College District and the California Renewable Energy Laboratory, focusing on applied research and the development of educational resources related to community-scale air quality monitoring using low-cost sensors in Kern County and the San Joaquin Valley.

What you'll do#

• Research and synthesize best practices for community air quality monitoring networks.
• Review existing air quality monitoring programs in California and the Kern County region.
• Support the development of potential configurations for integrating low-cost sensors with existing sensor networks.
• Assist with environmental data collection, analysis, and presentation.
• Help develop community science and educational materials.

What you'll need#

• Current enrollment in an accredited associate or bachelor’s degree program in engineering, environmental science, chemistry, energy systems, sustainability, public health sciences, data science, applied mathematics, research laboratory technology, industrial automation, or a related field.
• Minimum 2.7 GPA for Associate applicants; minimum 3.0 GPA for Undergraduate applicants.
• Strong written communication and organizational skills.
• Basic proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a remote environment.

Location & details#

• This position is fully remote.
• The internship is a fixed-term, part-time role (20 hours per week).
• The role is paid.
• Employment is contingent upon the ability to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card and a favorable background investigation, as required by Department of Energy access restrictions.