ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Training and empowering the next generation.
WIRED Undergraduate Summer Fellowship Program provides up to 10 undergraduate students each year from the United States and Canada with opportunities to immerse themselves in grid resilience, disaster planning, and climate adaptation. Our program offers research opportunities, transformative training, and peer mentorship designed to equip students with the skills, knowledge, and connections needed to build climate-resilient technologies and fortify the power grid. Fellows will work under the guidance of expert faculty and researchers on center activities related to data cyberinfrastructure, use-inspired research, community engagement, and our innovation ecosystem. Through collaboration with academic and industry leaders, fellows receive unparalleled experience researching and developing market-ready solutions.
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2024 Undergraduate Summer Fellowship Projects
Institution: University of Calgary
About: The project aims to investigate the role of demand response for grid resilience to extreme weather events, with a focus
on the Alberta region. The undergraduate researcher, working in tandem with a PhD student, will engage in several key
tasks to support the project's goals:
- Data Collection and Analysis: The fellow will gather and analyze historical data on Alberta's weather patterns, wildfire occurrences, and cold spells, alongside their impact on grid operations and renewable energy performance. These include open-access datasets such as those by Environment Canada and AESO, as well as datasets offered by Prof. Stull and his team at UBC. I will attempt to obtain more granular datasets from AESO.
- Scenario Analysis: The fellow will create and analyze scenarios in which demand response mechanisms are deployed during extreme weather events. This will include evaluating the potential of different demand response strategies to mitigate the adverse effects on the grid and renewable energy sources. The work will also involve categorizing the province load and estimating the availability for immediate or scheduled demand response.
- Simulation Development: Under the PhD guidance, the undergraduate will assist in developing simulation models that replicate the grid's behavior under stress from extreme weather conditions. They will test various demand response strategies to assess their effectiveness in maintaining grid stability. The simulations will be top-level, focusing on the temporal aspects of events and responses and ignoring the grid’s dynamics and power flow model.
- Research Documentation and Dissemination: The fellow will assist in documenting the research findings, contributing to reports, and preparing materials for dissemination at conferences or local events. Through this project, the fellow will gain hands-on experience in energy systems research, data analysis, and simulation modeling. The fellow will perform the analyses in Python and will use project management and collaboration platforms including Git.
The fellow will contribute to innovative solutions for the resilience of electrical grids against extreme weather events. The undergraduate and PhD student collaboration will foster a mentorship environment, facilitating skill development and academic growth.
Dates: May to August 2024
Institution: University of Utah
PI: Rajesh Menon
About: We are developing a technology that can convert a low-cost Go Pro Hero 8 camera into a Low Size, Weight, and Power (L-SWAP) hyperspectral camera, which will enable small Uncrewed Aerial Systems (sUAS) at the local government level to be capable of generating hyperspectral imagery, and segmented semantic (fuel type, soil moisture, etc.) maps easily, often, and in real-time during incident response. The core technology, which we refer to as a COmpressive Snapshot Spectral Semantic imager (COS3I) employs an optical compression process to encode spectral and semantic information into intensity images, significantly reducing telemetry bandwidth requirements, unlocking the ability to transmit data in real-time with existing Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) telemetry systems used for sUAS. Work is done in collaboration with NASA Langley and the Naval Research Laboratory. Specific work tasks for the fellow include:
(1) Optical modeling of the system.
(2) Deep-learning-based image reconstruction.
(3) Collection of training data.
Dates: May 15 to August 15, 2024
Institution: University of Utah
PI(s): Matthew Fry and Marissa Greer
About: The Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) is a voluntary market composed of 22 members in the U.S. portion of the Western Interconnection that serves approximately 46.7 million customers. This collaborative initiative aims to balance supply and demand dynamics, crucial for integrating renewable energy sources, fortifying grid resilience, and reducing electricity costs. By delivering real-time responses to customer demand across the expansive West, WEIM plays a pivotal role in the energy landscape. Demand-side management (DSM) strategies aim to modify demand-side energy consumption to foster better energy efficiency and grid reliability to create a smarter grid. DSM strategies often focus on energy efficiency (EE) or demand response (DR). Energy efficiency strategies are engineered to optimize the utilization of each unit of electricity, fostering a systemic reduction in demand throughout the day. Demand response strategies encourage consumers to curtail their electricity usage during peak demand intervals. These strategies often leverage a mix of financial incentives, new technologies such as smart thermostats and energy-efficient appliances, and educational outreach programs to elicit desired behavioral changes. As WEIM strives to align consumer demand more effectively, and with DSM strategies gaining popularity for managing rising electricity demand, we aim to pinpoint which WEIM members are implementing DSM strategies and detail their specific strategies and programs. To identify DSM strategies and programs, we will conduct a content analysis using information from utility websites, integrated resource plans (IRPs), company statements, and other relevant documentation. The research fellow will assist with document and data collection, data processing and organizing, and coding the documents using MaxQDA software. This research aims to examine better and understand the complex array of demand-side management strategies within the Western Energy Imbalance Market, providing crucial insights into how electricity providers are cultivating a more resilient and sustainable grid in the West.
Dates: May 20 to August 1, 2024
Institution: University of California San Diego and WIFIRE Lab
PI(s): Ilkay Altintas and Kate O’Laughlin
About: The fellowship undergrad student project will assist the WIRED Data Hub by integrating more external sources into the data catalog that are relevant to the power grid, utilities, weather, and/or wildfire data. This process will develop the student’s data engineering, transformation, and ingestion knowledge while improving the Data Hub catalog’s robustness. Secondly, the student will utilize the National Data Platform to perform an ML or statistical analysis utilizing the Interagency Tracking System utility-based treatments (1995-Present) and one or more of the exterior datasets ingested into the Data Hub.
Dates: May to August 2024
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers for Principal Investigators (PIs)
Who can submit project ideas?
What is the program timeline for 2024?
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- PIs must submit projects by February 18, 2024.
- The Fellowship Committee will inform PIs about their proposal and funding award by March 1, 2024.
- PIs will recruit an undergraduate student of their choice from their respective institution and, when ready, inform the Fellowship Committee to initiate a fellowship offer.
- Funds for the fellowship must be expended by August 31, 2024. The fellowship should occur during the summer term or semester between May and August.
How will fellowship funding be administrated?
PIs whose projects are approved for the fellowship program will receive information via email about funding information.
Where can I learn more about the program?
PIs who have questions about the program can email Marlee Jeppsen at marlee.jeppsen@utah.edu.
Answers for Undergraduate Students/Fellows
What is the WIRED Undergraduate Summer Fellowship Program?
Each year, the program offers a unique opportunity for up to 10 undergraduate students to gain leadership experience and engage in research and training focused on grid resilience, disaster planning, and climate adaptation. Through this program, fellows collaborate with expert faculty and researchers, gaining hands-on experience and contributing to innovative solutions for pressing challenges in the energy sector.
Who should participate in the program?
Undergraduate students enrolled at member universities have the opportunity to participate in the program and be a part of a project conducted at their respective institutions. We welcome undergraduate students of all majors who are passionate about addressing issues related to power grid resilience, disaster preparedness, and climate adaptation. Fellows should demonstrate a strong interest in research, a commitment to learning, and a desire to make a positive impact in their communities and beyond.
Why should I be a fellow?
Fellows will receive $2,500 to work under the guidance of expert faculty and industry leaders, contributing to projects with real-world impact. Fellows build relationships and connections with faculty, researchers, industry partners, and peers. This fellowship will also pay the student fellows to attend the WIRED Annual Symposium in September, where students participate in sessions, network, and engage in hackathons.
What is the fellowship timeline?
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- Students will receive a fellowship offer from the PI.
- The fellowship program operates during the summer between May and August, providing fellows with a focused and immersive experience. Exact fellowship dates may vary depending on specific project timelines and the duration of the summer semester/term at their respective institution.
Where do fellows work?
Fellows in the WIRED Undergraduate Summer Fellowship Program are hosted at one of our 11 member universities across the United States and Canada. Each fellow will work under the guidance of their associated project's faculty at the hosting university.
Where can I learn more about the program?
Students who have questions about the program, eligibility requirements, and program updates can email the PI of the project directly.
OTHER STUDENT PROGRAMS
Indigenous Youth Ambassadors
Six high school students from Indigenous communities in the United States and Canada will be able to participate in our ambassador program for one-year terms. The program pairs ambassadors with our expert researchers for career advice and coaching opportunities, and it provides support in attending and participating in WIRED Global Center annual meeting. Ambassadors will share their experiences, promote our mission, and inspire their peers to pursue their dreams. Outgoing ambassadors will continue to play a vital role in the program by helping to identify future ambassadors and offering their insights and experiences.
Climate-Resilient Grid Short Courses
Open to university students; community members; and engineering, climate and atmospheric science, forestry, emergency planning, and community planning professionals. Our Interdisciplinary short courses—created by our affiliates and partners—bridge knowledge gaps and introduce cutting-edge innovations in climate science and power grids. We prioritize understanding accessibility and inclusion in energy resilience. We're exploring tailored certificate programs for undergraduate and graduate students at affiliate universities.
Commitment to Accessibility and Inclusion
Through fellowships, research roles, webinars, and our annual meeting, we engage with and empower the next generation to make an impact on and drive change in power grid resilience.