Students

Geothermal Rising Scholarships 2025

Geothermal Rising (GR) is pleased to announce the availability of the 2025 GR Scholarship Awards. These awards are open to Graduate and Undergraduate students from a broad array of disciplines related to any aspect of geothermal energy, including but not limited to geosciences, environmental studies, engineering, renewable energy, energy policy, public policy, water rights, and other social sciences. 

To qualify for any of these awards, a student must be a GR member (student memberships are $40 per year). More info HERE. Selection of recipients will be based upon a variety of factors, including the individual’s academic record, student activities, geothermal industry experience, and career goals.

The following awards are available:

Marcelo Lippmann Graduate Scholarship Awards

A long-time GR supporter and former board member, Marcelo Lippmann was a tireless advocate for geothermal energy and a mentor to many. He managed the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s geothermal program from 1985-2000 and authored over 100 technical papers and reports, in addition to serving several stints as an editor for Geothermics. In 2018, the GR Board of Directors voted to name the graduate scholarship awards after him.

Up to Five (5) awards of $3,000 will be awarded. To be eligible for one of these awards, the candidate must be enrolled in a graduate-level program at an accredited academic institution at the time applying (Spring 2025). International applicants are encouraged, but please review the list of ineligible countries.  The subject of study is flexible and can be anything related to the use or promotion of geothermal energy.  In general, each awardee will be required to submit a paper on his/her research (or research progress) to be published in the GR Transactions and deliver results at the Geothermal Rising Conference as either a poster or oral presentation. If the recipient is unable to attend the conference, a virtual option may be coordinated. 

Graduate Applications must include:

1. Copies of undergraduate, graduate, and all relevant college transcripts.
2. Two letters of recommendation from academic and/or professional reference(s). 
3. A reflective essay (maximum 3 pages) discussing the applicant’s background, career goals and objectives, with particular reference to the applicant’s relationship to geothermal energy research and/or development. Please list any geothermal-related student activities, classes, and/or field experiences that you wish to be considered. The essay should include how the applicant intends to use the scholarship money to further their geothermal pursuits. 

Undergraduate Awards 

Up to Three (3) awards of $1,000 with an additional $1,000 gifted to the recipient's University or Department  – These awards are offered as a means of acknowledging exceptional undergraduate students for their early efforts toward, and interest in, geothermal energy. Efforts could include research, outreach, and other related activities. University faculty can nominate students, or a student may self-nominate. To be eligible for one of these awards, the candidate must be a third- or fourth-year undergraduate at an accredited academic institution at the time of nomination or applying (Spring 2025). 

Undergraduate Applications must include:

In the case of faculty nomination, applications must include:

1. Letter from a faculty nominator describing the nominee’s work related to geothermal energy
2. One-page reflective essay from the student describing their relationship to geothermal energy
3. One additional letter of recommendation.  

In the case of student self-nomination, applications must include

1. One-page reflective essay from the student describing their relationship to geothermal energy
2. Two letters of recommendation.

How to Submit Applications and Deadline

All applications and nominations must be received no later than Sunday, June 1st, 2025 at 11:59 PST to be considered. Apply by filling out an online form and submitting your supplementary documents here: 

Marcelo Lippmann Graduate Award Form

Undergraduate Award Form

Please direct questions regarding the GR Scholarship Awards to:

Vanessa Robertson- Director of Policy and Education  vanessa@geothermal.org

Winners will be notified and announced in August

The 2024 Geothermal Rising Student Research Award application is now closed.  Thank you for all those that applied.  The review committee will reach out in August.  

For any questions or general inquiries, please email students@geothermal.org

Each year the Student Committee organizes workshops for our student members for free or a small fee.  These workshops and webinars cover a variety of topics related to geothermal and are intended to support students educational aspirations and goals.  

You can visit our student committee Utube page to view past webinars or visit the Geothermal Rising main UTube page for more resources. 

We are currently soliciting feedback on workshop topics for 2025!  Fill out this quick form and let us know what you think! 

The Annual Geothermal Rising Conference will be held from October 26 to 29, 2025, in Reno, Nevada. Student-focused events take place every year, so mark your calendars! This is the event you want to be at!

Please visit the main webpage for more information

The Student Committee and WING are proud to support students through a travel grant initiated last year.  See the winners below from last year.  More info on the 2025 Travel Grant will be posted in early summer. 

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The 2024 Geothermal Collegiate Competition seeks to engage students across geosciences, engineering, finance, regional planning, sustainability, policy, design, communications, and other disciplines to reimagine how to heat and cool their communities and campuses.

Students will assume the role of a developer of a geothermal heating and cooling system for a district-scale application.

The competition has two tracks—Technical and Policy—focused on different aspects of implementing geothermal heating and cooling systems.

First-place teams in each track will earn $10,000, an opportunity to host a community event, and national recognition; second-place teams will receive $6,000; and third-place teams will win $2,000. Outstanding submission from a Tribal College or Community College will win $2,000 cash prize

Registration is now open through October 7! Follow the challenge on HeroX, set up your account, and have one team member complete the registration form by clicking “Solve the Challenge.”

 To learn more about the competition, read the official rules and watch the promo video and the recorded information session.

Questions? Sign up to speak with a competition organizer or email geo.competition@nrel.gov.

Registration for the 2024 Switch Competition opened September 1st and students and volunteers will have until September 27th to sign up. We already have a number of teams and volunteers registered but we need many more! So...

• Students, please remind your friends to sign up
• Faculty please tell your students about this great opportunity
• And everyone else, please spread the word among your friends and colleagues to sign up to help mentor teams and judge submissions! 

Let’s make this year’s competition the biggest yet!

Click the links below to register!

Student Registration

Mentors & Judges

Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI)
The Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program encourages undergraduate students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers by providing research. Selected students participate as interns appointed at one of 17 participating DOE laboratories/facilities. They perform research, under the guidance of laboratory staff scientists or engineers, on projects supporting the DOE mission. Fall and spring programs are 15 weeks. Summer program is 10 weeks.

Community College Internship (CCI)
The Community College Internship (CCI) program provides technical training experiences for community college students to enter technical careers relevant to the DOE mission.

Graduate Student Research Program (SCGSR)
The SCGSR research proposal is developed by the applying graduate student in collaboration with a NREL laboratory research scientist, and in consultation with the student’s primary graduate thesis advisor. The SCGSR research proposal includes the scope of thesis research proposed to be conducted at NREL.

Download more Information on DOE Student Programs

Full-time undergraduate or graduate students have the opportunity to join the NREL team as an intern while gaining valuable mentoring experience, participating in the lab's research and development programs, and establishing ongoing collaborations through NREL's Research Participant Program.

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

Learn More About this Internship

The (American Council On Renewable Energy) ACORE internship program is designed to mentor rising seniors and graduate students, as well as recent university graduates who are interested in making a career in the renewable energy industry. The focus of the program is to assist young professionals along the path of professional development, gaining the knowledge, resources and experience they need to join the renewable energy industry, whether it be in professional services, research, communications, market development, finance or policy.

Learn More About this Internship

Iceland GeoSurvey wishes to contribute to the dissemination of geothermal knowledge and technical expertise, in Iceland and elsewhere. To this end, Iceland GeoSurvey aims to accommodate up to two interns each year. The accommodation includes office space and admittance to research facilities at ISOR as well as supervision of an geothermal expert but no other financial support. This internship is limited to graduate students in geosciences, mechanical and chemical engineering as well as physics and chemistry that relates to earth sciences. Recommended internship duration is 5-6 months, starting in the period from September to March. The application deadline for internships is April 1 each year.

Learn More About this Internship

Each semester Iceland School of Energy offers several internship positions with leading energy companies in Iceland for our students to participate in. The positions are secured by Iceland School of Energy and give students the opportunity to work on stimulating energy projects that will expand their knowledge in the field of energy and allow them to develop professional skills in the sector.

Learn More About this Internship