The Energy Transition to a net zero carbon world is complex, daunting and urgent. We are short on time and on the skills necessary to lead it. Traditional courses, majors and thesis projects do not provide the training for leading such complex change.
Students need experience in solving real and complex energy problems in their natural messy setting, not in the pristine and theoretical environment of a university. There they can engage with team members from other disciplines who do not think like them and collaborate on a solution which will be accepted or rejected not for publication, but for implementation. They will learn to consider the impact of their solutions on the local ecosystem and engage with stakeholders with divergent opinions. This IAP, MITEI will be offering a pilot 4-week team practicum for students and postdocs. Multidisciplinary teams will be created to work on one of three or four projects with Shell TechWorks in Boston’s Seaport District.
In broad terms, the ESTP is designed to provide a cross-disciplinary group of students the opportunity to work in-house at energy organizations on projects agreed to by the organization and MITEI. Students will gain experience in project valuation, working within time/financial constraints, and stakeholder management while getting exposed to challenges that the organization is facing as it creates new energy technologies, business models, policies or strategies to advance the Energy Transition. The organizations will have the benefit of deep in-person engagement with the students and their focused attention on the project. The ESTP will be supervised by MITEI faculty and staff.
It is our collective hope that this experiential initiative will encourage students to pursue careers in the energy transition to mitigate the climate crisis.
The pilot ESTP will take place during IAP 2024 (Jan 3 – 30, 2024) at Shell TechWorks. Shell has proposed the following four project topics:
MIT graduate students or postdocs interested in applying to the 2024 ESTP should complete the application below, which requires the attachment of a curriculum vitae. There will be on-going information sessions for those having questions about the program before submitting the application and 2-3 prep meetings once students have been accepted into the ESTP. For questions about the ESTP, please contact Angeliki Diane Rigos.
The deadline for the 2024 IAP ESTP has passed. Acceptances will be communicated by November 1, 2023.