The American Nuclear Society Annual Meeting is always a time for reflection, recognition, and renewal. June’s meeting was particularly fruitful for NPRE, where several awards and honors went to the department’s faculty, students, and alumni.
- PhD student Amanda Bachmann was given a Presidential Citation “for her service on the Board of Directors and other committees and for her leadership among student members.”
“I am honored to be recognized with this award,” Bachmann said. “This award is recognition of all of the work I have done within ANS and for the students of ANS…I have been fortunate enough to be given multiple opportunities to serve the students of ANS, through different committee appointments and being elected to the Board of Directors. I hope to continue to advocate for students in nuclear science and technology, making sure they have the resources and agency to succeed in and out of ANS.” - Associate professor Caleb Brooks received the Landis Young Member Engineering Achievement Award “for his service to ANS, his high-quality and high-impact research in reactor safety, and his continued work to make microreactor technology a reality on campus.”
“The conference was very well attended, and it was great to see people in person again,” Brooks said. “The strong technical sessions and a lot of energy and engagement during the talks were clear indications folks were glad to be back...The Landis Young Member Engineering Achievement Award is a great honor. I am thrilled to be named on such a distinguished list of awardees, many of whom I have looked up to over my career. It also doesn’t hurt to have people still think you are young.” - NPRE alumna Alyssa Hayes, currently a PhD student at the University of Tennessee, served as a panelist during the president’s special session. The discussion was titled “The Nuclear Grand Challenges: Moving the Needle.” She was joined on the panel by NPRE associate professor Katy Huff (currently on leave as Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy in the U.S. Department of Energy).
“I had never attended an ANS Annual Conference before, but this meeting really transformed my career outlook for the better,” Hayes said. “I was able to connect with so many people working in my areas of interest. For instance, I aspire to be a future ANS Congressional Fellow and I was able to have in-depth conversations about the fellowship with the current and past fellows, as well as gain the support of ANS executive members. I joined a couple of ANS Committees and I'm excited to be more involved at the National level.
“Serving as a panelist during the President's Special Session as a student has never been done before to my knowledge. I heard at the ANS Executive Board meeting that this scenario would have been unimaginable a few short years ago. I spoke on public engagement through advocacy, and how to equitably transfer knowledge in order to build greater access to opportunities in nuclear for students in underrepresented minority groups, and foster a more inclusive community in ANS. Throughout the remainder of the conference, I was elated to find that my comments were highly regarded by many influential leaders within the nuclear community.” - Donald Biggar Willett Professor James Stubbins was presented the Mishima Award in absentia “in recognition of advancing nuclear science and technology in nuclear materials, irradiation damage and effects, mechanical properties, high-temperature corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, and electron microscopy.”
- Alumni Matthew Jasica and Kathryn Mummah also both received Presidential Citations.