Energy Institute Student Hub
TEX-E Fellowship Applications: Deadline Extended to Monday, April 29
Are you interested in solving challenges related to energy and climate? If so, you're just the right person to apply for the TEX-E fellowship program! All academic disciplines and skill sets are needed. Don't self-select out of this one. Go for it.
UT offers a variety of resources and opportunities for students interested in energy.
Active Student Organizations 2023-2024
Energy & Sustainability Organizations
Campus Environmental Center
CleanTech Group
Energy Finance Group
Energy Resources Group
Environmental Law Society
Kay Bailey Hutchison Student Advisory Council
Longhorn Energy Club
The NET (Negative Emissions Technology) Project
Sustainability Investment Group (SIG)
Switch Energy Club Longhorn Chapter
Texas American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (Texas AAEES)
Texas Energy Capital
Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law (TJOGEL) Society
UT American Nuclear Society
Engineering & Geoscience Organizations
Engineering LGBTQties
Engineers for a Sustainable World
Geoscience Empowerment Network
IEEE Power & Energy Society
Longhorn American Association for Petroleum Geologists
National Society of Black Engineers
Petroleum Graduate Student Association
Society of First-Year Engineers
Undergraduate Geological Society
UT Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE UT)
UT Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
Women in Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Women in Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering
Resources & Opportunities
Forty Acres Earth Day Fair
Attend the Forty Acres Earth Day Fair hosted by University Housing and Dining on Thursday, April 25 from noon – 3 p.m. on the East Mall. Enjoy local plant-based food, interact with leaders in sustainability, attend recycled fashion shows and so much more at this community-wide block party touching on all areas of sustainability
American-Made Solar Photo Competition: Hit Me with Your Sun Shot
DEADLINE: May 23, 2024 at 5 p.m. ET
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) is in search of the best photos of solar energy with the American-Made Solar Photo Competition: Hit Me with Your Sun Shot. Solar energy plays an important role in powering the country’s future and achieving a zero-carbon energy supply. SETO is launching this photo competition to bring attention to and document solar energy’s importance in the clean energy transition. Winners of the competition can earn up to $2,500 for a photo in one of the eight categories.
Overview
They are looking for your photos in the following categories:
- Solar and Weather (Weather) – Capturing the interplay between solar technologies and various weather conditions.
- Solar Workforce and Installation (Workforce) – Showcasing members of the solar workforce and individuals and teams behind solar installations.
- Concentrating Solar-thermal Power (CSP) – Showing CSP systems, their mechanisms, and the innovations of this solar sector.
- Research Processes, Solar Technologies in Detail, and Manufacturing (Research-Manufacturing) – Highlighting the research, development, and manufacturing processes behind cutting-edge solar technologies.
- Utility-Scale, Commercial Solar, and Grid Integration (Utility-Scale) – Showcasing large-scale solar installations, including those visibly integrated into utility grids.
- Community Solar/Multifamily Housing (Community) – Capturing the role solar plays in community sustainability through shared solar initiatives and solar-integrated multifamily housing.
- Residential Solar (Residential) – Capturing solar installations of residential properties.
- Agriculture and Solar, Solar in Nature, Solar and Wildlife (Nature) – Showcasing the coexistence of agriculture and solar power and/or how solar projects interact with local wildlife.
Genesis (Spring 2024)
This UT-based startup fund provides student innovators with startup capital and real-world investment experience. Genesis’ Smart Energy Call for Innovation (C4i) invests in transformative student startups building 21st-century smart energy solutions. Stay tuned for the 2024 C4i.
*Open to undergraduate and graduate students
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Geothermal Collegiate Competition (Fall 2024)
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Geothermal Collegiate Competition (GCC) invites teams from collegiate institutions to develop real-world geothermal solutions while competing for cash prizes and gaining resume experience in the renewable energy industry. Students of all majors, minors, and career paths are encouraged to participate in the annual geothermal competition. The theme for the competition is updated each year.
The application period for 2023 is now closed. Stay tuned for information on the 2024 competition.
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Green Labs
Green Labs is a resource to help researchers run more environmentally-friendly labs without sacrificing the integrity of their work. Green Labs assists researchers with minimizing waste, reducing water and energy use, and utilizing the concepts of Green Chemistry.
*Open to students, faculty, and staff
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The Innovation Lab
Located at the J.J. Pickle Campus in North Austin, in the EME Building, The Innovation Lab is a wet lab incubator space available for early-stage startups.
*Open to startups that have a license agreement with UT Austin.
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The LaunchPad
The LaunchPad at UT Austin is an entrepreneurship hub that helps undergraduate and graduate students of all majors explore and navigate entrepreneurship on the 40 Acres. Signature programs include the Bridge Venture Fellowship, the Entrepreneurial Mindset Bootcamp, the Gap Year Founders program for alumni, the SEAL Summer Accelerator, and the StartUP grant program.
*Open to undergraduate and graduate students
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Power the Community: An International College Design Competition
This competition challenges student teams to design the energy infrastructure for a community of 2,000 families, each supported by the combined salaries of a nurse and a schoolteacher. Your design must be affordable, reliable, and sustainable, and should improve the lives of community members by providing access to clean, safe, and efficient energy. The winning team receives a grand prize of $31,000 and the opportunity to showcase their design to industry experts.
*Open to undergraduate and graduate students
Enrollment ended December 15, 2023. Stay tuned for information on the 2024 competition.
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Product Prodigy Institute
This two-semester program takes students from underprivileged and underrepresented backgrounds through the process of learning the skills to launch their own venture. The second year of this program is optional, and it goes much deeper into product management training.
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Rising Solar Fellowship Program
Sponsored by Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE) and GRID Alternatives, this two-month fellowship program provides mentoring and networking opportunities for aspiring renewable energy professionals. To be eligible, you must be 18 or older, identify as a woman or marginalized gender, and be a current student or recent graduate. Application launches in summer 2024.
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Student Entrepreneur Acceleration and Launch (SEAL)
Student Entrepreneur Acceleration and Launch (SEAL) is UT Austin’s selective summer accelerator that picks the most promising emerging startups across campus and helps them confront their next market-driven milestone. Application period opens in the spring.
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TEX-E Fellowship: Applications Due April 22, 2024
Designed for students who are eager to lead on energy and climate entrepreneurship, this fellowship offers access to hands-on experiences including internships, entrepreneurship bootcamps, pitch competitions, courses, and conferences that will equip fellows to be impactful in this critical field.
Applications are open to students at any level enrolled at participating TEX-E schools—The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, University of Houston, Rice University, and Prairie View A&M University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
TEX-E Program
A first-of-a-kind collaboration among UT Austin, Texas A&M University, University of Houston, Rice University, and Prairie View A&M University—powered by Greentown Labs and MIT’s Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship—to create a powerful student-driven entrepreneurship ecosystem in Texas. This program hosts the TEX-E Prize startup competition, sponsors a multidisciplinary energy fellowship program (application period opens March 2024), and more.
*Open to undergraduate and graduate students
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UT Climate Leaders Program (Applications Open March 2024)
Climate LEAP is a year-long, paid internship program that offers students hands-on, practical experience developing a greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan for an organization. Interested in becoming a Climate Leader? For more information, fill out the interest form here. Applications are anticipated to open in March.
*Open to all undergraduate students
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Academic Programs & Special Courses
Energy 101: Energy Technology and Policy
A digital energy literacy course developed by Dr. Michael Webber and Dr. Yael Glazer of the UT Webber Energy Group.
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Energy, Finance, Law and Science Track (EFLS)
Make your study path uniquely yours, designed to match the energy career of your dreams. The Texas BBA Program gives finance majors the opportunity to specialize in Energy, Finance, Law and Science (EFLS).
*Open to undergraduate Finance students
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Energy Management Minor (EMM)
Requiring a total of 18 credit hours, this minor is offered through the McCombs School of Business. Students may choose from a range of classes in energy policy, law, business, and technology.
*Open to all undergraduate students
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Energy Ventures Practicum at Texas Venture Labs (Spring 2024)
Taught by leading academic minds in energy innovation, this project- and lecture-based practicum gathers students into multidisciplinary teams drawing from business, policy, law, natural science, geoscience, and engineering. Each team selects a novel idea for an energy-related service, technology, or business model, culled from ideas pitched to the class by labs and companies. Over the course of the semester, teams shape viable business plans for these ideas, learning along the way how to assess new technologies, target new opportunities, and understand and leverage policy. Teams conclude the semester having laid the groundwork for real-world commercialization of their idea. In the last decade, over 35 companies have been launched out of the MIT course on which this practicum is modeled.
*Open to graduate students, with limited seats available for undergraduates
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Graduate Portfolio Program in Energy Studies (GPPES)
Designed to give students a broad picture of the energy field, this interdisciplinary program considers energy issues from an overall policy perspective, based on an understanding of the technological and environmental pressures involved. The program is open to students who are currently registered in any UT graduate program. Completion of the GPPES is noted on a student’s final transcript, providing future employers with an indication of the student’s credentials in the field.
*Open to graduate students
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Master of Science in Technology Commercialization
Taught through the McCombs School of Business, this 12-month program meets on alternating weekends.
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Sustainability Degrees & Certificates
UT Austin offers a variety of degree and certificate programs for students pursuing careers in sustainability.
*Open to undergraduate and graduate students
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UT Energy Symposium
This weekly guest lecture series serves as a “convener” for the campus community, uniting students interested in energy issues with faculty and others working on sustainable energy security.
Students, staff, faculty, and members of the public are welcome to attend lectures on a drop-in basis. Students may alternatively choose to register for and attend the 15-week seminar for a one-hour course credit.
*Open to students, faculty, staff, and the public
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Energy-Related Courses: Fall 2023
The Longhorn Energy Club has compiled a list of energy-related courses taught in Fall 2023. Check it out!
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Texas Engineering Executive Education (TXEEE)
TXEEE, a division of the UT Cockrell School of Engineering, provides a variety of academic programs, corporate education offerings, and professional development opportunities.
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Women’s Initiative for Entrepreneurship and Leadership Development (WIELD Texas)
WIELD Texas is a two-year, credit-bearing program committed to advancing the number of women in executive leadership and is a program open to all students regardless of their background.
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Sustainable Energy Minor
The 18-hour minor is open to students in the following majors:
- Chemistry
- Environmental Science
- Geological Sciences
- Architectural Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Geosystems Engineering and Hydrogeology
- Mechanical Engineering
- Petroleum Engineering
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Are we missing something?
Please let us know if there are any additional energy-related student resources or opportunities that we did not list on this page.
Energy Institute Student Listserv
Join our student listserv to receive news about energy-related events and opportunities, such as job and internship notices, calls for proposals, and more.
Questions?
If you have questions about our student hub, email Nora Ankrum at nora@energy.utexas.edu.
What Can Biology and Ecology Teach Us About Energy and the Economy?
James H. Brown Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico
Charles A. S. Hall Professor Emeritus, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Tuesday, Apr. 9, 2024, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Catch Up on Past UT Energy Symposiums
Visit the Energy Institute YouTube channel to watch UT Energy Symposiums from our twelve-year archive.
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