Alumni Newsletter - May 2022 |
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Farewell and Best Wishes to Class of 2021–2022! On May 12, we celebrated the completion of the Class of 2021– 2022 in a virtual closing ceremony that welcomed 215 participants. Guest speakers included Frank Rose, NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator; Marcus Lea, NNSA Deputy Associate Administrator for Management; and Jana Fankhauser, PNNL Principal Advisor, Nuclear Nonproliferation and Security Sector. During the event, fellows spoke about their experience in the program and shared posters and videos showcasing their assignments across the enterprise. With this class, our NGFP alumni network totals more than 650 spanning the NNSA and broader national security community. Congratulations to the Class of 2021–2022—we look forward to seeing where your career takes you!
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Here Comes the Class of 2022–2023! We are preparing to welcome aboard the Class of 2022–2023 in June 2022. This incoming class will comprise 61 fellows placed across NNSA and with the Department of State. We are looking forward to a year of in-person and hybrid leadership, learning, and networking, but our agenda of professional development events is filling up quickly! If you are interested in joining our career development events or would like to share other networking or training opportunities to help fellows connect within the nuclear security enterprise, contact ngfp@pnnl.gov.
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Ready, Set, Recruit! Spring recruitment is underway, with our recruiters connecting virtually with universities nationwide to recruit for the Class of 2023–2024. Since our application opened in March 2022, we have held 27 virtual information sessions with our university partners plus two general sessions open to all students. If you know current or recent graduate students interested in the fellowship, please encourage them to check us out online at http://www.pnnl.gov/projects/ngfp where we list upcoming information sessions open to all students. Do you have a university or faculty contact to recommend or want to join us in hosting an information session? Let us know!
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Fellows Get In Person and International. With the support of their travel and training funds, fellows participate in a range of learning and networking opportunities tailored to their individual assignments and professional development interests. While the majority of the recent class year was remote, fellow Ashley Wiser was able to attend a series of in-person international activities with the Office of Nuclear Material Removal.
Most recently, Ashley traveled to Norway in support of a highly enriched uranium minimization project. There, she led a technical meeting series with Norwegian partners in addition to meeting with stakeholders from Norwegian government ministries and the nuclear regulator. Ashley’s itinerary this year also included travel to the United Kingdom for a nuclear material packaging training exercise and to Canada for meetings on future nuclear material removals.
“This fellowship has been a great transitional opportunity from my military service into foreign affairs. I appreciate the opportunity to continue serving my country,” Ashley said. Ashley is a fellow in NA-232, the Office of Nuclear Material Removal. She has a Master of Science in international relations from Troy University and a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Iowa.
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During her fellowship, Jenna Faith also had the opportunity to visit several national security sites. Most recently, Jenna visited the Los Alamos National Laboratory for the Nuclear Explosion Monitoring program review. During the visit, she met with project leads and scientists. She also visited the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS).
“The meetings were very insightful, and it was great to meet the scientists and learn more about the research they are doing,” said Jenna.
Before her fellowship concludes in June, Jenna will also travel to Brookhaven National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories for two different program reviews, and she will participate in an experiment at the NNSS.
“This fellowship has allowed me to learn more about the nuclear enterprise, grow my network, and be involved with research being conducted at the national laboratories. I have been offered the unique opportunity to engage in multiple field experiments and tours at the NNSS that would not have happened if not for this fellowship.”
Jenna is a fellow in NA-22 Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development. She is pursuing a PhD in geological sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso.
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Engaging Emerging Leaders for National Security. Fellow Jesse Altum was selected for cohort 4.0 of the Emerging as a Global Leader Experience (EaGLE). The EaGLE program accelerates the careers of emerging leaders working in national security and public service. The program is run by Globally and provides participants with intensive leadership development based on theories of innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. Together, with the McChrystal Group, The Roosevelt Group, Michele Flournoy, Fatimah Gilliam, and several others, the group explored their personality strengths in leading teams, networking strategies for innovation, and keys to long-term leadership strategies.
“It was an amazing experience to connect with an impactful cohort of young leaders in national security from across the U.S., converging on the opportunity to grow and learn from one another and developing to take on the challenges we face in careers today and to come,” said Jesse. “It was impressive to witness the array of avenues to contribute, build, and move forward a variety of arenas advancing the future for so many. I was incredibly humbled to hear all the wonderful ideas of my cohort and thankful to reconnect with so many amazing leaders.”
Jesse is a fellow in NA-213 Office of Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence. He has a Master of Arts in international security policy studies from the George Washington University. In addition to EaGLE, Jesse was also accepted into the Center for Strategic and International Studies Project on Nuclear Issues Scholars 2022 cohort.
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Celebrating Women in Nonproliferation. In April, Taylor Hart-McGonigle (Class of 2019–2020) was featured in the NNSA’s Women in Nonproliferation Series. The series celebrates the contributions and accomplishments of amazing women whose expertise ensures that NNSA successfully meets the challenge of its crucial mission.
Taylor, a foreign affairs specialist, is leading the Office of International Nuclear Security’s “Nuclear Security Women” initiative. The initiative promotes the role and visibility of women across all aspects of nuclear security, supports a diverse range of professional development opportunities to understand gaps to success, and increases female representation in the field of nuclear security worldwide.
“It has been extremely rewarding to represent those values on behalf of the program and a privilege to have the opportunity to meet and work with such incredible women in the field from across the world,” Taylor said.
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Advancing Academic Programs and Opportunities. Fellow Samuel Perry recently attended the 2022 Stewardship Science Academic Programs (SSAP) Symposium and moderated a panel discussing potential fellowships for students funded through the NNSA's Academic Programs grants and centers. The panel featured alumni Alexander Godinez-Robinson (Class of 2019–2020) and Tom Gray (Class of 2015–2016). The symposium also featured a presentation from David Etim (Class of 2016–2017) on the Predictive Science Academic Alliances Program.
The symposium provides participants an opportunity to make important connections with laboratory personnel and fellow students, exchange research progress, and interact with the scientific communities encompassed by SSAP. During his fellowship, Samuel provided a range of support to NNSA’s Academic Programs including developing content and feedback for the in-progress website and compiling a list of qualified reviewers for proposals.
“Through my support of Academic Programs, I learned a great deal about how the NNSA funds research at universities and fosters the development of the next generation of scientists. I was pleased to contribute to their efforts, as having previously been a teacher and mentor myself I believe in ensuring students have the resources to perform cutting-edge research. I also have a greater appreciation of the responsibility NNSA has taken upon itself to develop a pool of future technical experts that may one day support the national mission,” said Samuel.
Samuel is a fellow in the NA-113 Office of Experimental Science. He is completing a PhD in uranium mineralogy and geochemistry from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Science in geology from Ohio State University.
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Where have you been all these years? What have you been up to in your post-fellowship career? How did NGFP impact your professional trajectory? Have you taken on a new and exciting opportunity? We want to hear from you! Send us your latest career highlight and we will share it in a future newsletter!
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NNSA Graduate Fellowship Program
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
1100 Dexter Ave N, Suite 400
Seattle, WA 98109 USA
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