Fellowships for STEM projects with preference to E3

(a)

Establishment

The Secretary of Energy shall establish an undergraduate student fellowships pilot program to award competitive grants to partner institutions to provide work experience in STEM fields that will overall improve education and training in support of STEM fields. Grants under this section may be used for— (1)employing eligible students for 10-week research fellowships with partner institutions; (2)approved travel and housing expenses for student fellows; (3)purchasing, renting, or leasing of equipment, instrumentation, and other educational and training materials needed to satisfy the student research fellowships; (4)supporting outreach efforts to recruit students; (5)encouraging collaboration between government, industry, and academic partners; and (6)assessing the activities funded under this Act. (b)

Partners

Grants awarded under subsection (a) shall be to a partner institution that— (1)is a 2-year degree granting institution of higher education offering an associate degree in a STEM field; (2)is a 4-year degree granting institution of higher education; (3)is a business, nonprofit organization, or labor organization; or (4)is a State educational agency, other public agency, or National Laboratory. (c)

Preference

The Secretary of Energy shall give preference to awarding grants under this section to partner institutions— (1)whose proposal incorporates E3 concepts; (2)whose proposal includes student work experience with emphasis on research; (3)who demonstrate that they will employ students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields; and (4)who can demonstrate the likely long-term stability of the program without continued Federal funding. (d)

Eligibility

A student is eligible for employment under subsection (a) if the student— (1)is at least 18 years of age on the date of submission of the grant application and— (A)is a high school student who has been officially accepted to begin undergraduate studies at least half-time within 6 months of high school graduation; or (B)is enrolled as an undergraduate student at least half-time at a degree granting institution; (2)in the case of a student described in paragraph (1)(B), has achieved at a minimum a 3.0 undergraduate cumulative grade point average; and (3)is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. (e)

Student Allowances

An eligible undergraduate student employed using grant funds awarded under subsection (a) shall receive— (1)$4,500 direct salary stipend; and (2)reimbursement up to $2,000 for approved housing and travel expenses. (f)

Diversity of Subject Matter

The Secretary of Energy shall ensure that, to the extent possible, grants are provided under this Act for projects representing a wide diversity of STEM fields. (g)

Limitation

No single grant under subsection (a) may be made in an amount greater than $10,000 per year. (h)

Public Information

The Secretary of Energy shall make publicly available all planning documents and other materials related to a project supported by a grant made under this Act. (i)

Project reports

The Secretary of Energy shall require grant recipients under subsection (a) to submit a report to the Secretary, not later than 1 year after receiving the grant, on the results of the project supported by the grant. Each such report shall include an assessment of which elements of the project supported with the grant were successful and which were not, along with an identification and analysis of improvements that could have made the project more successful. The Secretary shall make all reports submitted under this subsection available to the public.