В Национальной лаборатории Аргонне запустили программы для подготовки нового поколения ученых

Newswise — From community college students to experienced graduate students and postdocs, two Argonne programs are helping build the next generation of the scientific workforce. For students and early-career researchers, finding a path into science can be hard without direct access to labs, mentors and real-world experience. At the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, two programs are helping change that. Taste of Tech introduces community college students to technical careers across the national lab system, while Next Generation Electrochemistry (NGenE) helps experienced graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and early-career researchers explore the frontiers of electrochemical science. Together, the programs support Argonne’s mission to strengthen the scientific workforce by building pathways at different career stages. This summer marked the first year of Taste of Tech, a four-week program for community college students from the Chicago area. Funded by the DOE Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists, the program is designed to help students see what technical work at a national laboratory looks like and where they might fit. “Taste of Tech introduces community college students to career opportunities they may not have imagined,” said Meridith Bruozas, institutional partnership director at Argonne. “It’s their first time coming to the lab. The goal is to give them a taste of professional pathways that are possible at a place like Argonne.” The 20 students in this year’s cohort came from city and suburban community colleges. Over four weeks, they explored Argonne, the DOE lab system and three technical focus areas: health physics, artificial intelligence and microelectronics. They also completed required lab access training and built a personal career map as a capstone project. Amy Trethaway, a co-creator of Taste of Tech who is implementing the program, said the experience is intentionally different from traditional research programs. “The goal is to expose community college students to technical roles available within the DOE national lab system,” Trethaway said. “They have a good idea of what the job looks like from the inside out, from the lab perspective, and the tech, not the research aspects. That’s what makes this different.” Students heard from scientists, toured labs and reflected on what they learned. Some came in unsure whether they belonged in science. Others left with a clearer sense of whether they wanted to pursue research, technical work or both. Several now plan to apply for DOE community college internships next year. Bruozas said the program also reflects a broader effort to build stronger ties with community colleges. “This is the first time we’ve really focused something just on community college students to support them in their growth,” she said. If Taste of Tech is an entry point into the lab system, NGenE is a deeper dive into a fast-moving field. The weeklong summer workshop brings together 30 participants this year: experienced graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and early-career researchers working at the frontiers of electrochemical science. NGenE is supported by Argonne, the George Crabtree Institute for Discovery, the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science, the Energy Storage Research Alliance and the University of Illinois Chicago. Jordi Cabana, an Argonne materials scientist and a chemistry professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, developed the vision for the program and serves as director of NGenE. He said the workshop is meant to help participants understand not just what is known, but what remains unsolved. “The purpose of the workshop is to tell the next generation where we are, where those frontiers are,” Cabana said. “It’s a handoff of knowledge from the current generation to the next generation.” The program includes interactive lectures, poster sessions, facility visits, soft-skills training and group work in which participants develop and present their own vision for the future of electrochemistry. Since 2016, it has drawn participants from around the country. Trethaway, one of the organizers of this year’s NGenE, said the program helps participants build both knowledge and community. Cabana added that NGenE fills a gap by focusing on the field’s unsettled questions. “What we want them to do is not know how electrochemistry works but to know what electrochemistry cannot do today,” he said. From first exposure to advanced exploration, both programs help Argonne grow the talent needed for the future of science. Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology by conducting leading-edge basic and applied research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.