Post-BA Internships for Technicians

The postdoctoral programs at Los Alamos National Laboratory and other DOE Laboratories serve as powerful mechanisms for recruiting the next generation of scientists into the DOE system. It has been documented that up to 50% of the new technical staff at Los Alamos are recruited from among the ranks of postdoctoral researchers. Another invaluable class of technical employees at Los Alamos is our technician workforce, but comparable mechanisms do not exist for the recruitment and retention of qualified technicians. We hope to diversify our technician workforce (drawing from a more diverse base of technical disciplines as well as a wider geographic target region), and to shape their training (much as postdoctoral researchers are educated in technical areas relevant to Laboratory programs). To this end, we are planning for the formation of a technician internship program, drawing prospective technicians in the same way that the postdoctoral program draws prospective technical staff.

The program will “target” Bachelor’s-level science and engineering students, providing the opportunity to gain practical work experience at LANL (after competitive selection). While we intend that some program participants will choose to stay at LANL as technicians, others will decide to seek other employment, or to go on to graduate school with strong base of practical technical experience (potentially drawn to IAS partner universities as well-qualified candidates for graduate programs.). The LANL Institutes will play an integral part in creating this internship program. Key roles could include advertising the opportunity and selecting targeted universities for recruitment, and designing onsite informational/instructional program for technicians in the program. This program could include lectures in technical subjects to acquaint candidates with different Divisions/programs at LANL, as well as topics designed to address career development goals (presentation skills, writing, etc.).

This year’s planning will include dialogue with prospective university partners in high-priority technical disciplines. We are seeking interest both from LANL programs interested in recruiting a new base of technicians, as well as from universities who would like to explore this program as a possible avenue for baccalaureate students.

For more information, contact:

• Carol Burns, Group Leader, Nuclear and Radiochemistry Group, Chemistry Division, 505-665-1765, cjb@lanl.gov
• Don Hickmott, Group Leader, EES-6: HYDROLOGY & GEOCHEMISTRY, 505-667-8753, dhickmott@lanl.gov