The Ray: Energy Resilience Project Internship

*Learn about some of The Ray’s most recent projects: https://www.theray.org/our-news

All applications will be due by midnight on Monday, January 25, 2027.

Faculty Letters of Recommendation are due Monday, February 1, 2027.

APPLY HERE: The Ray Energy Resilience Internship application

Energy Resilience Project Internship

About the Internship
The selected student will support and work directly with The Ray, a nonprofit organization that reimagines infrastructure to be safer, cleaner, and more productive. The Ray partners with all levels of government to drive innovation in energy and mobility, improving capacity, production, and longevity. Advancing technologies with industry leaders, The Ray is the only nonprofit in the United States using geospatial analysis for right-of-way utilization, research-based practices, and cutting-edge safety systems to improve transportation. Through its public-private-philanthropic partnerships (P4), the organization executes projects at scale, leading the way with collaborations from coast to coast. Working with federal and state agencies, local communities, technology partners, and foundations, The Ray has built a proven pipeline for advancing resilient projects. The organization demonstrates how to transform policy into action, addressing real-world challenges with innovative solutions.

With The Ray Highway, located in west Georgia, being a living laboratory for net-zero transportation infrastructure, the intern will have the opportunity to study how renewable energy can scale nationally. This internship gives students practical experience that supports NASA’s priorities in energy, and resilience research while strengthening South Carolina’s renewable energy workforce.

In partnership with The Ray and the City of Spartanburg, SC, this internship focuses on developing an interactive STEM curriculum centered on the city’s energy-resilient airport microgrid. The intern will design a structured, one-to-two-day program and culminate their experience by presenting the curriculum in person to a group of students. Using the airports’ microgrid as a real-world anchor, the scenario-based curriculum challenges youth and adult learners to collaborate in small groups to design energy resilience solutions for transportation facilities. By tasking students with determining microgrid placement, battery capacity, and community protection strategies, the sessions actively build critical problem-solving and communication skills. Ultimately, this scalable program is designed to be shared with other schools and communities, aligning directly with broader national resilience hub initiatives.

These projects will serve communities in South Carolina and beyond, advancing regional innovation while contributing to a more resilient national energy grid and transportation network through strategic microgrid deployments. The internship will be framed around exploring sustainable energy systems that enhance resilience, specifically addressing complex deployment challenges such as battery storage integration, weatherization, environmental mitigation, and risk mitigation, which directly aligns with NASA’s focus on energy innovation, mission operations, and Earth system science. Furthermore, the student’s research into curriculum development will enhance community workforce training and support NASA’s broader interests in renewable energy development, grid integration, and innovative adaptation technologies.

This internship also aligns with the goals of the NASA SC Space Grant Consortium and is conceptually linked to NASA’s Energy Program, which supports high-performance energy systems, including net zero energy buildings, energy project financing, and energy efficiency across federal facilities.

Interns will explore the evolving concept of energy resilience as it applies to their assigned project(s), developing a working definition rooted in real-world infrastructure, environmental goals, and long-term system reliability.

Key Details

  • Location: Primarily virtual with in-person meetings and site visits required in Spartanburg, South Carolina (as coordinated with The Ray team and local partners)
  • Research Term: Academic Year or Summer
  • Eligibility: Undergraduate or graduate student affiliated with a SC Space Grant Consortium School
  • Supervision & Collaboration: Intern will report to The Ray’s Director of State Partnerships and Strategy and work with other staff from The Ray, and the City of Spartanburg stakeholders as needed.

Application Requirements

  • Resume
  • Education information to include unofficial transcripts
  • Description of why you are interested in this internship (no more than 2 pages-references not included in page count)
    • Define Energy Resilience
    • Relevance to NASA
    • How knowledge and experience gained from this internship may contribute to SC energy resilience needs
  • Project Advisor
  • Essay (500 words or less)
    • Past activities
    • Current interests
    • Future plans
  • 1 letter of recommendation from a faculty member at your home institution.

What You’ll Gain

  • Direct exposure to cutting-edge infrastructure projects at the intersection of clean energy, transportation, and public-private partnerships
  • Opportunity to contribute to energy resilience strategies tied to real-world deployments
  • A broader understanding of how NASA’s energy goals align with terrestrial applications and local infrastructure development
  • Experience working with an award-winning nonprofit and public-sector agencies driving change

Eligibility
Students must:

  • Be a citizen of the United States (see U.S. citizenship requirements here).
  • Attend a consortium member institution or educational partner
  • Have sponsorship from a faculty advisor
  • Be a rising sophomore, junior or senior
  • Have an interest in aerospace and space-related studies. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the basic sciences, science education, astronomy, planetary science, environmental studies, and engineering.

Reporting Requirements

  • SC Space Grant Awardees are required to submit a final report of their project activities at the end of the academic year.
  • SC Space Grant Awardees are required to present their work at a research symposium or conference.
  • If selected to participate in this program you agree to participate in the South Carolina Space Grant Longitudinal Tracking program that is designed to monitor student progress from award through first employment.

Obligation to the Government
While students who receive support through the National Space Grant Program do not incur any formal obligations to the government of the United States, the objectives of the program clearly will be best served if graduates from the program pursue further study or careers in science, technology, engineering, and support areas. *As required by NASA, all awardees will be tracked via email through their first year of employment.
For more information, please contact: Ms. Tara B. Scozzaro, MPA Program Manager
phone: 843.953.5463 | email: [email protected]

*NASA Media Release form – download here