2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

(Work-in-Progress)
The evolution of the power and energy sector demands a new generation of engineers equipped with specialized industry knowledge and advanced professional competencies. The [Energy Center Name] Scholars Program is a targeted, academic-year professional development initiative, designed in collaboration with industry partners, to address this workforce need. The program specifically targets sophomore and junior undergraduate engineering students across all engineering disciplines, ensuring they build essential "soft skills" while still developing foundational technical expertise. Intervening at this early stage is critical, as it allows students to immediately apply new professional and leadership skills to their core coursework and early internship experiences.
The program focuses on cultivating skills imperative for success in the evolving field, including communication, leadership, complex problem-solving, and working in interdisciplinary and intergenerational teams. By targeting those with an interest in the energy industry, the program aims to cultivate both essential professional acumen and a deep, contextual understanding of the energy sector's unique opportunities and challenges.
The program is structured around two core components:
1. The professional development series: six monthly modules and activities utilize guided workshops and self-guided tasks to build core professional competencies such as effective project management, professional networking, high-stakes communication, and interview skills. This series is the primary mechanism for strengthening essential soft skills.
2. The career-building sessions: these sessions feature industry-focused panel discussions covering diverse energy topics, from grid modernization technologies to nuclear power and utility asset management. Direct engagement from alumni and industry partners aims at providing students with valuable exposure to real-world challenges and opportunities within the electric utility sector, contextualizing their technical learning.
The [Energy Center Name] Scholars Program aims to offer a highly relevant, career-building experience, ensuring graduates possess the comprehensive skillset and sector-specific understanding required to drive innovation. Program effectiveness will be evaluated through a mix of qualitative and quantitative metrics, including participants’ pre- and post-program self-assessments (e.g., self-awareness, networking confidence) and quantitative data tracking like internship/co-op placement rates, number of interviews obtained, and long-term academic success (e.g., graduation rate and grades in specific courses). This paper will detail the program’s collaborative design, implementation, and preliminary outcomes, providing a framework for engineering educators to align undergraduate training directly with the critical talent needs of the future power and energy workforce.