The State of California is tackling climate change on several fronts, especially in the field of energy. Stanford University is committed to helping by integrating its best students into the California energy and climate ecosystem through Stanford Energy Internships in California (SEIC), an energy-related summer internship program for its undergraduate and graduate students.
SEIC will offer a suite of paid energy-related, public service internships for Stanford students in California during the summer. We will be able to provide eight inspired students with funding ($4,000 to $6,200) for the energy-related internships listed below. These internship positions are for 35-40 hours a week for nine to ten consecutive weeks, starting the week of June 20, 2016.
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Undergraduate Student Summer 2016 Internship Opportunities:
- California ISO (pdf): research in the areas of energy and environmental policy to support market design proposals to the ISO's Board of Governors (Folsom, CA)
- California Air Resources Board (pdf): research, develop, design, analyze, interpret, and report various policies aimed at supporting the transition of transportation source in California (Sacramento, CA)
- California Department of Water Resources (pdf): The State Water Project Power and Risk Office (Sacramento, CA)
- California Energy Commission (pdf): Office of Commissioner David Hochschild (Sacramento, CA)
- California Energy Commission (pdf): Office of Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller (Sacramento, CA)
Graduate Student Summer 2016 Internship Opportunities:
- California ISO (pdf): research and analysis in the areas energy and environmental policy to support the quality and performance of the California ISO's electricity market (Folsom, CA)
- California Department of Water Resources (pdf): The State Water Project, water power analysis (Sacramento, CA)
- California Energy Commission (pdf): Office of Commissioner Andrew McAllister (Sacramento, CA)
Undergraduate Application Process
The SEIC’s internship application process will be incorporated into the existing application structure of Stanford in Government (SIG). SIG application consists of a common application, a supplemental application, and tiered preferences.
Undergraduate students applying for SEIC's energy-related internship positions may also apply to SIG's summer fellowships. You may select up to three SEIC internships/SIG fellowships for which to write supplement essays, and may then further select up to five tiered preferences for which to be considered. Click here to view SIG's application information page: https://sig.stanford.edu/application-information/.
Application Timeline
- December 17: Application Released
- February 9, 11:59 PM: Application Deadline
- February 9, 11:59 PM: Letters of Recommendation Submission Deadline
- Mid-February: Interviews
- Mid-March: Decisions Announced
Graduate Application Process
The SEIC’s internship application process will be incorporated into the existing application structure of Stanford in Government (SIG). SIG application consists of a common application, a supplemental application, and tiered preferences.
You may apply for any of the three SEIC available graduate-level internship positions. If you choose to apply for more than one, you must write supplemental essays for each and rank order your preferences.
Process
Your application and related documents will be submitted and collected by SIG and forwarded to the staff from The Precourt Institute for Energy and The Bill Lane Center for the American West for review. Representatives from each of these two centers will evaluate applications to determine up to five finalists to be interviewed for each position. From these finalists, a prospective fellow is selected, and his/her application is forwarded to the host office for final approval.
Application Timeline
- December 17: Application Released
- February 9, 11:59 PM: Application Deadline
- February 9, 11:59 PM: Letters of Recommendation Submission Deadline
- Mid-February: Interviews
- Mid-March: Decisions Announced
Commitment
In addition to fulfilling the internship position over the summer, all interns will also need to complete the following:
- Spring quarter 2016
- Haas Center's Principles of Ethical and Effective Service workshop course (date TBA)
- Take the "California Energy Seminar" (course # TBA), a one-unit workshop spring course that will provide an in-depth analysis of the role of California state agencies in driving energy policy development, technology innovation, and market structures. Class dates are three Saturdays: April 2nd (10am-2pm), April 30th (10am-1pm), and May 21st (10am-1pm). Lunch will be provided
- Submit all required online forms and paperwork
- SIG program orientation (undergraduates only) (date TBA)
- Meet with Haas staff for a small group program orientation (undergraduates only)
- Summer 2016
- Preliminary report online form
- Submit a final report, complete a program evaluation, and correspond with donor(s) as requested by program staff
- Fall 2016
- Debrief with academic mentors at least once
- Participate in outreach activity to share your experiences and help publicize the program
Housing and Travel
Students are responsible for arranging and paying for their own housing and transportation during the internship.
A select number of rooms have been reserved for SEIC interns at the Upper Eastside Lofts in Sacramento. Students interested in this housing arrangement will need to commit to this housing option no later than April 1, 2016. For more information on these accommodations, please see: www.uelsacramento.com
SEIC Goals
- Provide Stanford students interested in energy an avenue to participate in a substantive and paid internship with energy-related California government organizations.
- Provide California’s agencies with Stanford’s top students and resources.
- Promote the spirit of public service to Stanford students and encourage them to consider public policy positions after graduation.
- Educate students about the wide range of career opportunities available in state government for energy-related jobs.
- Increase connections between Stanford faculty and researchers and California agencies.
For the summer of 2016, The Stanford Energy Internships in California will be offering exciting opportunities with:
- California ISO
- California Air Resources Board
- California Department of Water Resources
- California Energy Commission.
Please contact Sunny Wang with any questions.
**NOTE: SEIC undergraduate and graduate internship applications and related paperwork will be collected through the Stanford in Government (SIG) website. SIG's summer fellowships are only open to Stanford undergraduate students.**
