Voices of Progress: A Panel Discussion on Opportunities in Nuclear Engineering

On Tuesday, October 15, 2024, the Department of Nuclear Engineering at UC Berkeley hosted Voices of Progress: A Panel Discussion on Opportunities in Nuclear Engineering. This hybrid event was part of the NEDHO Diversity Seminar Series originally established by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2022. The UC Berkeley event was moderated by Prof. Bethany Goldblum from the Department of Nuclear Engineering and included five panelists: Dr. Tomi Akindele, alumna of UC Berkeley and scientist in global security at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Prof. Lee Bernstein, professor of nuclear engineering at UC Berkeley, senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and head of the U.S. Nuclear Data Program Center at Berkeley Lab; Jisu Park, graduate student in nuclear engineering studying nonproliferation and medical physics; Tatiana Siaraferas, graduate student in nuclear engineering studying advanced nuclear energy systems; and Anthony Vazquez, graduate student in nuclear engineering studying accelerator science and technology. Panelists discussed how their varied interests, backgrounds, and lived experiences led them to a career in nuclear engineering, the variety of research areas available in this field, and how nuclear scientists and engineers play a role in addressing global challenges, such as sustainable energy, climate change and nuclear security. The panel was held at the Banatao Auditorium at Sutardja Dai Hall on the UC Berkeley campus and made available live online to participants from around the nation. In-person attendees also included a large group of students from San Jose State University (SJSU) organized in cooperation with Prof. Nick Esker, an Assistant Professor in the SJSU Department of Chemistry.

To view a recording of the event, visit https://youtu.be/E5qy4QcnmeE.

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