2025 CMI Annual Meeting includes recognition for interns, mentors

CMI researchers conducted the activity for this highlight

Achievement  
The Critical Materials Innovation Hub hosted eight interns in the second year of the CMI Intern Program. All eight attended the 2025 CMI Annual Meeting, where they gave an oral presentation and a poster presentation and received a certificate.

Details  
CMI launched the intern program in 2024 with one student, and grew the program in 2025 to eight students at three national laboratories and two universities with the added opportunity for an industry site visit and to attend the CMI Annual Meeting to give oral and poster presentations, receive recognition as a CMI Intern and network with more than 200 members of industry, universities, and national laboratories.  

Hub Targets Addressed   
Training the critical materials workforce of the future.

group of people standing by posters
2025 CMI interns and their mentors during the CMI Annual Meeting: (front, from left) Intern Sheila Whitman, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Intern Melanie Guerrero, Ames National Laboratory; Mentor Denis Prodius, Ames; Intern Caleb Kline, Idaho National Laboratory; Mentor Slava Bryantsev, ORNL, Intern Aubrey Lemer, ORNL; Mentor Nikki Thiele, ORNL; and Mentor Mike Moats, Missouri S&T. (back, from left) Mentor David Parker, ORNL; Mentor Ikenna Nlebedim, Ames; Mentor Ian Lange, Colorado School of Mines; Mentor Aaron Wilson, INL; Intern Brock Moody, Colorado School of Mines; Intern Ernest Konadu-Yiadom, ORNL; Intern Chinenye Eze, INL; and Intern Matthew Assurian, Missouri S&T.