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SOLAR DECATHLON AWARDS
Nominate an Outstanding Solar Decathlon Alum or Faculty Member by Feb. 1!
Know a Solar Decathlon alum or faculty lead who should be celebrated for accomplishments in the buildings industry? Nominate them for the Solar Decathlon Alumni/Faculty Awards!
These annual awards are given to past U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathlon® participants at the student or faculty level who have made outstanding contributions to the transition to a clean energy economy.
Nominate by Feb. 1 to be considered. Winners will be announced in April 2024 at the Solar Decathlon Competition Event at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.
SD PRO
Earn 30+ Continuing Education Units by Joining SD Professionals January Cohort
 Solar Decathlon is partnering with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to host the next Solar Decathlon Professionals Program (SD Pro) cohort!
Earn 30+ GBCI (Green Business Certification Inc.) continuing education credits (CEUs) by enrolling in this virtual, hands-on, zero-energy-design course. Participants will complete a net-zero-energy building design project.
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The winter cohort runs from Jan. 18 to March 21, 2024. Virtual, live sessions will be held on Thursdays from 5 to 6:30 p.m. ET.
- If you cannot join the winter cohort, email kkane@usgbc.org to be notified of the next offering.
- The training is a blended learning experience of online on-demand content and live virtual weekly sessions. The course incorporates the Solar Decathlon's Building Science Education Series, as well as online weekly sessions with the instructor and participants.
SD PATHWAYS
 Seeking Educators—Solar Decathlon High School Program
Are you an educator looking for free STEM career talks for your classroom? Consider signing up for Solar Decathlon Pathways this year!
SD Pathways connects Solar Decathlon alumni with high school classrooms and academic groups across the United States for STEM career talks exploring pathways to clean energy professions like engineering, construction, architecture, and more. Students gain awareness about the many paths to a STEAM career and SD Pathways expands the mission of Solar Decathlon to younger students. Virtual or in-person visits are available.
Solar Decathlon In the News
ZERO ENERGY DESIGN DESIGNATION
 22 Collegiate Programs Receive 2023 Zero Energy Design Designation
In September 2023, the DOE awarded its second Zero Energy Design Designation (ZEDD) seal of recognition to 22 leading educational programs from 14 institutions across the country that are preparing tomorrow’s high-performance building professionals to design and construct the most sustainable buildings possible. More than half of the 14 institutions recognized this year are current or former Solar Decathlon participants.
The designation, offered to qualifying programs of study for three years, requires graduating students to:
- Complete a building science curriculum that uses DOE’s Solar Decathlon Building Science Education learning modules or otherwise meets ZEDD’s learning objectives; and,
- Participate in a Zero Energy Design Practicum, either by completing the DOE Solar Decathlon Design Challenge or by engaging in a zero-energy design project that would earn the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home certification or a more stringent energy performance standard.
The full list of the 2023 ZEDD cohort is available online. The 2024 ZEDD application will open in April 2024. Check the ZEDD website for information.
SCIENCE UNDERGRADUATE LABORATORY INTERNSHIPS
 Applications for 2024 Summer Internships with DOE/National Labs Due January 9
The Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) and Community College Internships (CCI) are open for applications for the 2024 Summer Term until January 9, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET.
Each year, students from around the country participate in SULI and CCI at one of the 17 participating DOE laboratories/facilities. In these comprehensive internships, you’ll be mentored by a leading science expert who will guide you in a specific research area to gain maximum exposure to one of the many science and technology areas that underpin DOE’s diverse missions.
Apply by January 9 to be considered for the summer!
LAB-EMBEDDED ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM
 Consider Applying for the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program
The DOE Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) supports the next generation of clean tech entrepreneurs to help move science innovations from lab to market that address climate change, sustainability, and social justice.
LEEP “nodes” are currently located at four national laboratories:
- Chain Reaction Innovation at the Argonne National Laboratory
- Innovation Crossroads at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Cyclotron Road/Activate at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- WestGate at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Each LEEP node recruits clean energy’s best and brightest minds through a national call for a two-year funded fellowship that will move their startup technology into the market. To optimize the innovator’s success and compete with high-profile incubators, the program offers:
- Paid two-year fellowship of up to $110,000 per year
- $100,000 – $280,000 to support technical work at a national laboratory
- Healthcare benefits
- Access to equipment and scientists at national laboratories
- $12,000 yearly travel allowance
- Mentorship, programming, ecosystem networking
- Annual Demo Day that introduces ecosystem partners and investors to startups
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