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Donate to the Cal Energy Corps

Support the Cal Energy Corps

Cal Energy Corps aims to provide transformative internship opportunities to students interested in energy and climate research while creating equal opportunities for all students, especially those who may not be able to work without pay. By offering only paid internships, the Cal Energy Corps program allows for a wider pool of highly talented and motivated students who are able to take part in the program.
 

Supporting undergraduate research is central to the program’s commitment to shaping the next generation of energy researchers and innovators. Undergraduate research is a formative experience that allows students to develop a passion for this field, as well as a better understanding of what a career in research might look like. Engaging with leading professionals in the energy and environment sectors enables students to go beyond the traditional classroom experience and tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time. Cal Energy Corps interns go on to become impactful leaders in their respective fields.

In the coming years, our goal is to become self-sufficient as the Cal Energy Corps program continues to expand each year, connecting more students with internships in an even wider array of research fields. Your generous donation goes a long way towards achieving this as it directly funds students’ internship placements and the annual Cal Energy Corps Symposium.

The Cal Energy Corps Fund

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Frequently Asked Questions:

Why should I donate to Cal Energy Corps?

Donating to Cal Energy Corps is supporting the future of clean energy and climate change research and technology. Cal Energy Corps offers a competitive salary in order to ensure the best and brightest of our students can participate in the program regardless of their financial means. We would not be able to offer as many opportunities as we do to students if not for the generous donations from our patrons. Your gift can support a student for a week or a full summer, and leave a lasting impact for the rest of their life.

Donations go towards supporting student participants with salary and other internship-related costs for the duration of the internship. We encourage host organizations to cover salary-related costs, travel allowance, and help with housing costs and/or arrangements. However, your donation helps us partner with valuable non-profit organizations that may not be able to cover as much of the costs as for-profit companies. 

There is no one “typical” Cal Energy Corps placement. Past programs have included a wide range of opportunities from across the globe. Our summer 2011 pilot program included positions focused on the design and deployment of wind turbines in rural villages, the analysis of low-carbon growth strategies, and the development of the next generation of thin-solar cells. The program continued to offer a wide variety of exciting projects – from developing more efficient cook stoves in costal Nicaraguan villages, to analyzing the global market for solar PV in China, to turning waste into biodiesel in Ghana. Since then, we have had the pleasure of working with a number of amazing host organizations that are leaders in their respective fields. 

  • All placements are full-time; interns are expected to work 40 hours per week. Internship placements take place over the summer (between mid-May to mid-August) and are anywhere from 8-12 weeks long. 
  • All interns report directly to a supervisor at the partner organization. During the internship, participants are expected to provide regular blog updates on the progress of their work and pictures of research activities to Cal Energy Corps. 
  • Following the internship, students participate in the Cal Energy Corps Symposium to share their experiences and the results of their work.

Yes! The Cal Energy Corps program is administered by CITRIS and CIEE under the University of California, Berkeley which is a non-profit organization. Any gifts to the fund, including those that directly support an internship placement, are entirely tax-deductible.  

Thank you for supporting the Cal Energy Corps program. Donations can be made online through the CIEE Gift Fund. CIEE administers the Cal Energy Corps program. Get in touch with us at calenergycorps@berkeley.edu if you would like to make a donation by mail or in-person.

Have another question?  Please contact calenergycorps@berkeley.edu.

 

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