Experience

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Graduate Research Assistant | August 2019 - Present

3D Compton image reconstruction with scene data fusion using a free-moving gamma-ray detector and auxillary contextual sensor package.
Analyzing data from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station parking lot with contaminated vehicles that were used in site cleanup.

Space Science & Applications Intern | May 2020 - August 2020

Project title: Multi-pixel CdTe detector for space environment measurements
Participated in the NSSC-LANL Keepin Summer Program - a seven week extended research internship that provides a survey of the national laboratory activities and mission space, focused research projects with a strong connection to nonproliferation science and technology, and a companion symposium series linking nuclear security science, technology, and policy.
Wrote code to generate a signal in a CdTe detector with an active guard ring.

Safeguards & Security Technology Intern | May 2019 - August 2019

Project title: Improving Facility-Specific Safeguards with Data Analytics
End of Summer Poster.
Investigated current international safeguards methods for research reactors.
Collected data from HFIR-REDC Pu-238 production process to determine characteristics of normal operation at a research reactor with adjacent hot cell facilities.
Researched OCR technology to determine best tool to transcribe PDF data.
Assembled a pandas dataframe of data collected in preliminary data hunt.
Visualized data using python tools.
Presented research at end of summer poster session.

Nuclear Science & Engineering Intern | May 2018 - August 2018

Developed code in Fortran to update SAS4A/SASSYS-1 input preprocessor to allow free format input.
Extended unit testing capabilities of SAS4A/SASSYS-1.
Discussed code changes at oral presentation.

Nuclear Engineering Undergraduate Research Assistant | January 2017 - May 2019

Materials Science & Engineering Undergraduate Research Assistant | May 2015 - January 2017

End of Summer Poster.
Synthesized a sample for study using conventional solid-state synthesis.
Conducted an in-situ high temperature x-ray diffraction (XRD) study and analyzed XRD patterns.
Managed an x-ray diffraction instrument.
Created and presented a poster with a summary of all work and results at The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society national conference in 2016.

Nuclear Safety Analysis Intern | May 2017 - August 2017

Analyzed Time to Core Boil (TTCB) for various RCS conditions in GOTHIC thermal-hydraulic code resulting in more accurate TTCB estimates.
Communicated with Surry personnel to present TTCB analysis and results in a way that would be most easily used by plant operators.
Updated GOTHIC 8.0 to 8.2 and benchmarked important cases.
Planned after-hour social events for interns to enjoy with a $1000 budget provided by Dominion.

Nuclear Spent Fuel Intern | August 2016 - December 2016

Created a database of Millstone Power Station spent fuel that allows engineers to extract data for dry storage more efficiently, reducing engineering work time by at least 50%.
Evaluated source range lengths for earlier cask loading of non-fuel core components.
Examined fuel anomalies in North Anna fuel assemblies to qualify them for dry storage.
Compiled design inputs to allow construction of a new Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation pad at Surry.
Identified issue with a group of assemblies that were intended to be loaded into a dry cask.

Nuclear Core Design Intern | January 2016 - May 2016

Reported burnup, isotopic, and monthly core follow data and ensured plant was operating as expected.
Investigated secondary source assemblies and determine=ed that they would need to be replaced earlier than previously thought.
Reported the startup physics testing for Surry Unit 2.
Used CASMO to model new Surry Power Station fuel assemblies.
Analyzed control rod drop times during startup physics testing at North Anna Unit 2.