URISE

The URISE Program

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  What is URISE?

  URISE is a paid internship at BYU where undergraduate students can participate in research during the summer months, typically June-August. The minimum duration of an internship is 10 weeks but may be longer depending upon funding and student availability. It is expected that students work on-campus at BYU during the internship. The students will receive mentorship during the internship from graduate students and professors. It is a great opportunity to gain valuable skills and abilities for employment in industry or for future research in graduate school.

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  How do I apply?

  You can submit your resume for consideration at this link: Application Form for URISE

  Submit by February 14, 2025 to be considered for an internship this upcoming summer.

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  What is Sustainable Engineering?

  Sustainable engineering involves the exploration of novel process, techniques, and technologies for producing energy and materials with reduced waste, decreased pollution, and increased efficiency while maintaining or increasing the security of critical resources for our economy and health.

  Some examples from our participating professors are:
  

  1. Electrochemical production of actinide and rare earth metals in molten salts (Prof. Rappleye)
  2. Molten salt nuclear reactor design and development (Prof. Memmott)
  3. Molten salt property and corrosion measurements (Prof. Memmott and Rappleye)
  4. Combustion of biomass in power plant boilers (Prof. Fry)
  5. Modeling and simulation of electrorefining liquid metals (Prof. Tree)
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  What does a URISE intern do?

  Each URISE intern experience will be unique due to the different projects available each year. The list of participating professors below can give you an idea of areas in which your potential project will be. However, each intern will have the opportunity to conduct research, share progress, collaborate with other students, and receive mentorship from peers and faculty.

  Here are some of description of past experiences by previous URISE interns to give you an idea of the URISE internship experience:

  

  Density of Molten Salts Project

  "I participated in the URISE Internship program this past summer, and it was a spectacular experience. The internship gave me a glimpse into professional research and life as a graduate student. If you’re interested in graduate school, this internship is a good way to see if research is a career path worth pursuing for you.

  "During the internship, I developed and tested two methods of measuring the densities of molten salts. At the beginning of the internship, I was given an outline of what needed to be done and given the freedom to make design choices according to what I thought provided the best results. During construction I spent much of my time in the machine shop customizing parts and designing other components needed for the project. The culmination of my work resulted in two apparatuses that successfully measured the density of a molten LiCl-KCl eutectic mixture of molten salt to verify its accuracy.

  "The most memorable part of the experience was sharing project updates during weekly team meetings. In these meetings we were encouraged to invite other lab group members to help solve problems collectively. This established a collaborative environment that I felt was critical in my development as an engineer. Overall, I would recommend this experience to any student looking to put their engineering skills and knowledge to work since every day you discover a new problem to solve." - Edward M.

  Thin Cell Electrochemical Probe Project
  "The opportunity to participate in the URISE Internship was an amazing experience. I have been able to work in the PYRO lab in the thin cell project. In this project we have been utilizing electrochemistry to look at how molten salts behave in a thin cell model. I was assigned to work with two graduate students and another undergraduate student. The graduate students I have been able to work with were amazing and took the time to explain to me what was happening, gave me a background of what tools and processes we were using, and gave me resources where I could turn to expand my knowledge. I gained so much from this internship it’s hard to write it all down. I gained a knowledge of electrochemistry that would have been difficult to gain otherwise. It gave me a little bit of experience of research and how demanding it can be. I also learned how to overcome failure because experiments tend to fail or go not how you expected. This opportunity also gave me many valuable connections that will help me move forward in my education and future career." -Ashley Camp

  Nucleation Growth of Polymers Project
  "I had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the URISE internship, working under the mentorship of Dr. Tree. My main project focused on a specific aspect of nucleation growth, allowing me to deepen my understanding of polymers. This project gave me a space to dive into subjects I was learning in my materials science class.
  Throughout the internship, I was able to build up my technical writing skills and collaborate frequently with my mentor and colleagues. It enriched my scientific knowledge and enhanced my ability to engage in thoughtful, detailed research." -Camille Nóbrega

  Simulation of Electrorefining Project
  "This summer I worked in Dr. Tree’s lab in the URISE internship program, and I loved it. I had the opportunity to be paired with a student working on his PhD and help with his project. My objective was to simulate electrorefining. This was something I was able to choose to work on, which allowed me to fully engage in the work. I received resources, time and mentorship through a professor and graduate student. Additionally, there were other undergraduates working in the lab that I was able to collaborate with. This opportunity helped me to understand what working in industry would be like and more specifically, what working in research entails. I had many setbacks, moments of self-learning, and some breakthroughs throughout the summer. I was trusted with my own task to accomplish and was given full responsibility for taking the lead in developing it, which I loved. I was able to see more fully what I was capable of.... Discovering things no one has the solution to takes longer than expected but is very rewarding. I am grateful for the patience and support I received from my mentors and those I got to work around this summer. I would 10/10 recommend this internship to anyone interested." -Matthew Miles