In the late 1990s, Blair Bromley was a graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign from Canada, and like most graduate students, he received some financial support.
“I came to NPRE as an international student, and was supported financially through tuition waivers, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships,” Bromley said. “I am somewhat doubtful that I could have obtained the same level of support at other universities in the United States, or perhaps even Canada, and for that I am very thankful, and very grateful.”
Bromley went on to get his MS degree in aerospace engineering in 1998 and his PhD in nuclear engineering in 2001. He currently works as a reactor physicist at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL).
“NPRE had (and still has) as an excellent educational program and a diverse and comprehensive array of professors with valuable knowledge, experience, and expertise, both inside and outside academia, and many good networking contacts within industry and at the national laboratories,” Bromley said. “I developed a good educational and professional foundation within NPRE, that helped prepare me for post-doctoral studies, and later to serve as an R&D scientist at several national laboratories.”
When the opportunity arose to give back to their alma mater, Dr. Bromley and his wife, Jennifer, a fellow Illinois alumna (MA ‘97 Teaching of English as a Second Language, MA ‘00 Linguistics) have been generous with their time and money.
In addition to supporting the NPRE Visionary Scholarship Program, Dr. Bromley has been an active member of the Department of Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering’s alumni board, offering counsel to the department from a research/industry perspective.
When asked what advice he would give to current students preparing to enter the field, he said, “The advice for today is essentially the same advice for yesterday, and for tomorrow. Maintain the fundamentals and core skills, along with personal and professional ethics. They are a constant guide, the ‘North Star’ of one’s career.
“Nuclear engineering is a most honorable and noble profession and career. Be quietly proud and also be humble. Never be entitled. Our role is serve and to improve the quality of life for humanity through our work. Learn quickly from the mistakes and successes of others. Do not be afraid to fail.”
Beginning this school year, the Blair and Jennifer Bromley Canada-U.S. Friendship Scholarship will be given to an undergraduate (sophomore/junior/senior) student in NPRE who has demonstrated academic/scholastic merit, and who has shown accomplishments and dedication to one or more of the following: participation in RSOs and professional nuclear organizations such as the American Nuclear Society (ANS), Women in Nuclear (WiN), and North American Young Generation Nuclear (NA-YGN); public engagement; and public education and outreach. This latest financial gift continues a strong tradition of named scholarships within the department.
The scholarship’s first recipient is current junior Piper Fernau. Fernau is pursuing her BS in NPRE in the Plasma and Fusion Science and Engineering concentration. She ranks highly among her peers academically and is a James Scholar. In terms of research, Fernau has been involved in Prof. Mohan Sankaran’s SPEC Lab since freshman year. Her research focuses on using atmospheric plasmas to degrade PFAS, forever chemicals. Based on her research performance, she was named a DaRin Butz Foundation Research Scholar and an Illinois Scholar Undergraduate Researcher (ISUR).
Fernau has shown a commitment to STEM outreach. She was a Lab Assistant for our Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE) program for two consecutive summers, responsible for developing content, presenting lectures, and running demos and lab tours for high school juniors and seniors to learn about the NPRE fields. Fernau was a Course Assistant for NPRE 100 Orientation to NPRE, a course taken by all first-year students in the department. Fernau was a Women in Engineering (WIE) Orientation Mentor and is currently a WIE Ambassador for NPRE. Through these roles, she aspires to inspire her peers and advocate for visibility and representation of women and other underrepresented groups in STEM.
Lastly, Fernau has been highly active in both our American Nuclear Society and Women in Nuclear student chapters. In her sophomore year, Fernau served as Outreach Chair for ANS, responsible for organizing impactful events to promote nuclear energy awareness/advocacy booths, letter-writing campaigns to support the lifting of nuclear moratoriums, Boy Scout Nuclear Science Merit Badge sessions, and exhibits for Engineering Open House. Fernau was named the ANS Student Chapter Undergraduate Outstanding Service Award (2024) in recognition of her contributions. That same year, not content to just hold one officer position on one student organization, Fernau was also Content Chair for WIN. This year, Fernau is the ANS Internal Vice President. One of ANS’s major efforts this year was one which Fernau co-led, the inaugural ANS Midwest Meetup, which brought to campus students from five different ANS student chapters. The ANS Midwest Meetup included research informational sessions, lab tours, and networking sessions along with a visit by the ANS National President.
In the end, for Bromley, this scholarship is an opportunity to follow the Golden Rule (“Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you”) in a place that has meant so much to him and his family over the years.
“Or, in a more contemporary society, ‘Pay it forward,’” he said.