The Summer 2025 IGNITE Fusion Energy student internship program started on Tuesday, May 27, 2025 and concluded on Friday, August 1, 2025. This year, a total of six students were recruited from Tennessee Tech University, Tennessee State University, Southern Adventist University, and Tuskegee University. The students participated in a one-week “Introduction to Fusion” summer school at University of Tennessee – Knoxville, followed by a nine-week research project at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

The six students were mentored by six researchers at ORNL on their independent projects. The project topics include:

• Application of validated liquid-metal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code to fusion-relevant geometries
• Understanding Plasma-Material Interactions During Helicon Wave Heating in the DIII-D Tokamak
• Computational Fluid Dynamics for Fusion Blanket Research
• The design of a functional gradient material for the blanket first wall of a fusion reactor
• Calculate Sticking Coefficient of Hydrogen Isotopes using Molecular Dynamics for Cryopump based Fusion Fuel Cycle
• In Situ repair of a PFC component

Check out some photos from the Summer 2025 internship program below!