Undergrads: Design your energy journey!

Discover the dynamic realm of energy systems and their societal impact at the Irving Institute, where a wealth of experiential and curricular opportunities awaits. Immerse yourself in hands-on programs and innovative courses designed to ignite your passion. Craft a personalized pathway to achieve your unique personal and professional growth goals, and gain insights from inspiring stories of Dartmouth graduates who have successfully leveraged these programs to bridge their academic pursuits with their career aspirations.

Curricular Offerings

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• Add energy & society courses to your Dartmouth education, no matter your major. With dozens of options, you can explore a meaningful three-step journey to deepen your understanding of the vital connection between energy and society.
• Pursue a Sustainable Energy Track within the Environmental Studies Minor and gain the skills to promote affordable, reliable, and equitable energy transitions that positively impact society. 
• Energy Justice Course: Gain a deep understanding of how culture, power, and inequity shape the global shift away from fossil fuel-based energy systems, and learn how to contribute to more just and inclusive energy solutions. 

Experiential Learning

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The Appalachia Energy Immersion Trip is an experiential learning opportunity bringing students to the heart of America's coal industry.

• TuckLAB: Energy is a transformative, weeklong intensive held during winterim, designed to equip students with the skills to foster just and sustainable energy transitions. 
• Electricity Grids and Markets Bootcamp is an immersive two-day workshop that offers students essential insights into the core components of the U.S. energy system, equipping you with a deeper understanding of how electricity markets operate and shape our energy future.  
• Clean Energy Finance Bootcamp is an immersive two-day workshop that introduces students to the financial tools that can accelerate an affordable, reliable, and equitable clean energy transition.
• The Energy Immersion Trip to Appalachia, co-sponsored by the Irving Institute and the Sustainability Office, is a ten-day experiential journey over spring break, where students explore the rich history and lasting legacy of coal extraction on the people, landscape, environment, and economy of West Virginia. Discover how the region is transitioning to cleaner, lower-carbon energy sources like natural gas, wind, solar, and geothermal. 
• The Energy Justice Clinic, led by Dr. Sarah Kelly, offers students the chance to participate in impactful research projects in the Upper Valley and South America, helping to shape a more socially just and sustainable energy transition. Contribute to meaningful change through hands-on experience and global impact. 
• Student Grants are awarded each quarter to support a range of activities, including independent research, external unpaid internships, and professional growth opportunities like attending academic or career conferences. Students may apply for as much as $6,000 to pursue opportunities aligned with the Irving Institute's mission.

Student Stories from Dartmouth Class of 2025 

Ella Briman '25 

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Government Major, Environmental Studies Minor with the Sustainable Energy Track. Ella completed the Energy Justice Course, served as an Energy Justice Research Assistant, and received an Irving Institute Internship Grant.

"My experience researching energy insecurity in the Upper Valley [with the Energy Justice Clinic] has opened my eyes to how interconnected energy and climate are with community health. There is no clean energy transition without addressing the unreliable services and assistance for households that are already struggling to make ends meet. Conversations with local community members and service providers have illustrated that the existing system doesn't work for those who are forced to make sacrifices in order to pay for heat and electricity costs."

Ella's future goals: "I hope to continue working and learning about energy systems and particularly how subsidies or programs can be used to uplift communities."

Arne Grette '25

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Economics Major. Grette joined the Gulf Coast Immersion Trip, served as an Energy Justice Research Assistant, received an Independent Research Grant, and participated in the Electricity Grids and Markets Bootcamp.

"Traveling to the Gulf Coast with the Irving Institute and Dartmouth Sustainability made me realize that the energy industry was filled with curious people navigating fast-moving changes in technology and policy. I credit this trip with sparking my interest in an energy career due to a simple realization: I would never stop learning about energy. While I study energy through an economic lens, it's always amazing to learn from engineers who have a totally different perspective."  

Arne's future goals: "I hope to be involved in navigating wholesale electricity markets and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the U.S. tries to meet rising electricity demand in an affordable way while also lowering carbon emissions. [After graduation], I'll begin my role as an Analyst for Charles River Associates' energy practice."

Kenny Mok '25

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History Major, Environmental Studies Minor. Mok participated in TuckLAB: Energy, the Electricity Grids and Markets Bootcamp, the Clean Energy Finance Bootcamp, and performed research for the Energy Justice Clinic. He graduated from Dartmouth with a prestigious Yenching Scholarship. 

"As the energy transition progresses, understanding historical patterns allows me to identify and disrupt negative cycles, ultimately preventing the perpetuation of energy inequity…I hope to leverage an interdisciplinary background to create effective solutions. My participation in TuckLAB: Energy pushed me further into the energy sector…This problem of energy insecurity affects millions of people. Through the [Yenching] scholarship, I'll learn more about China, its dominant role in the renewable energy transition and critical resources, and energy infrastructure development."

Kenny's future goals: "I aim to establish and maintain trilateral or multinational partnerships to improve infrastructure and systems for the betterment of communities worldwide."