Inspiring the Next Generation of NREL Researchers
People take different paths to NREL, and those paths often begin in school, sometimes as far back as junior high school. One successful NREL researcher, Alicen Kandt, is reaching back—volunteering to do her part to influence NREL's next generation of experts, who may even become her colleagues one day.
Kandt has worked at NREL for more than 15 years as a senior mechanical engineer and is an alumna of the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she earned her master's degree in mechanical engineering. Through the school's alumni network, Kandt became engaged and involved in numerous activities to support students as they contemplate their academic and professional futures.
In October, CU Boulder invited her to give a presentation on careers in renewable energy and sustainability as a part of the Careers in Mechanical Engineering Symposium, which she delivered to an overflowing room.
"I spoke to undergrads about careers in our field, my background, and my experiences at NREL. I have also volunteered to do activities such as informational interviews and help make networking connections between students and colleagues at the lab working in the students' areas of interest," she said. "I really enjoy these interactions. I've had many female students reach out to me, in particular. I believe they enjoy connecting with a female professional with a similar educational background as theirs, and they relish the honest dialogue I engage them in about both opportunities and barriers."
Kandt said she thrives off these connections with students and recalled a recent interaction from one in particular.
"Following my presentation in October, one student followed me out of the room afterward and very excitedly proclaimed that my talk had inspired her to focus on careers in renewables and that she hadn't considered that sector before," Kandt said. "Outcomes like that are very encouraging for me."
Kandt also volunteers in support of EngineerGirl, a website "designed to bring national attention to the opportunities that engineering represents for girls and women." EngineerGirl is a service of the National Academy of Engineering and facilitates a web-based network of female engineers who provide mentorship to junior high and high school girls interested in the engineering field.
As part of her support to EngineerGirl, she's available for questions from students and has spoken about careers in the renewable energy industry as a guest at both junior high and high school levels through the organization. She has also reviewed essays for its recurring STEM-focused essay contest for several years.
Alicen Kandt participates in the 2015 Solar Decathlon in Irvine, Calif. (Photo credit: U.S. Department of Energy)
Back at NREL, Kandt has been involved in the Solar Decathlon for more than a decade, first supporting the collegiate competition in 2005. She said she thrives on that interaction and feels inspired by the students.
In her nearly 16 years at NREL, the projects Kandt supports have evolved over time. Initially, her work focused on renewable energy assessments for primarily one-off sites where power was very expensive (islands, off-grid locations, etc.), whereas now her work is much more systems-based, considering buildings, the interaction of energy and water systems, mobility, and resilient operations in a holistic way.
"Speaking with students of the evolution of the lab's work really piqued the students' interests," Kandt said.
Kandt, whose own NREL career started with a nonprofit career fair at CU Boulder, has participated in one-off mentorship opportunities with other schools and universities and has hosted Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships and other interns.
"I enjoy getting out there. I like helping kids realize what other opportunities there are besides those which they're already familiar with," Kandt said. "It feels great to inspire students, to connect them with experts in their areas of interest who can give them a tour of a lab or share their research with them, to do whatever I can to help them determine their career path. And I get something out of the relationship as well; I also feel inspired by their passion, intelligence, and drive."