About

The mission of the Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) program is to ensure that Department of Energy (DOE) has a sustained pipeline for the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. Accomplishing this mission depends on continued support for undergraduate internships, graduate thesis research opportunities, and visiting faculty research appointments; administration of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship for K–12 STEM teachers for the federal government; and annual, nationwide, middle, and high school science competitions culminating in the National Science Bowl® finals in Washington, D.C. These activities support the development of the next generation of scientists and engineers to address the DOE mission, administer programs, and conduct research.

WDTS activities rely significantly on DOE’s 17 national laboratories and scientific user facilities, which employ more than 30,000 individuals with STEM backgrounds. The DOE laboratory system provides access to leading scientists, world-class scientific user facilities and instrumentation, and large-scale, multidisciplinary research programs unavailable in universities or industry. WDTS leverages these assets to develop and train post-secondary students and educators in support of the DOE mission. The WDTS discovery learning-based STEM training programs enable highly qualified applicants to conduct research at DOE laboratories and facilities in support of the DOE workforce development mission.