Alumni Newsletter - November 2021 |
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That’s a wrap! Our recruitment for the Class of 2022–2023 concluded this fall with our team having connected with 65 university partners nationwide in more than 80 virtual events. This effort resulted in more than 200 eligible applicants! Thank you to the many alumni who joined us in this effort. We could not do it without your support and university connections. If you would like to join us in next year’s recruitment or if you have a university partner or student organization to share, please let us know at ngfp@pnnl.gov.
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Suit up for professional development season. Individually and as a cohort, the Class of 2021–2022 fellows are busy with a suite of professional development opportunities this fall season.
Fellows participated in the first seminar of the Aspiring Leader Certificate Program. The week-long event included sessions on building strengths and trust, leadership essentials, time management, emotional intelligence, effective communications, and leadership ethics. Thank you to the numerous alumni who joined us for a senior leader panel, including Jessica Halse, Assistant Deputy Administrator for the Office of Material Management and Minimization (NA-23); Michele Dash-Pauls, Deputy Director for the Office of Nuclear Export Controls (NA-242); and John Michele, Senior Advisor for the Office of Production Modernization (NA-19).
Fellows also attended the PNNL National Security Professional Leadership Publishing Workshop, a four-part series highlighting PNNL tools and best practices for publishing in the national security mission space. The workshop included sessions on the publishing life cycle, research, writing, and a panel where NGFP’s own Tom Gray, joined by PNNL Research Analyst Amanda Sayre, shared best practices for publishing.
We also hosted the National Security Enterprise Lecture Series where fellows gain an in-depth understanding of national security stakeholders and operations. This year’s series included:
- Nuclear Science 101 with PNNL Senior National Security Specialist and NGFP Team Lead Walt Sansot
- Congress 101 with PNNL Federal Affairs Director Josh Shiode
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Federal Budget with Class of 2002–2003 alum and PNNL Director of Funding, Contracts, and Performance James Windle
- Office of Naval Research Global Overview with Dr. Marcus Tepaske
- Department of State Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Overview with Jody Daniel
- Remote Sensing Laboratory Virtual Tour
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency Virtual Tour
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Get your cameras on and mics off mute: It’s interview time! This November we’re hosting interviews for the Class of 2022–2023, which will begin its fellowships in June 2022. Thank you to everyone who joined us in the candidate review and selection process and to those who are joining us for interviews. We look forward to sharing the outcomes of this year’s efforts with you in our next newsletter.
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“This event helped broaden my understanding of the nuclear nonproliferation technical community. I was able to attend the sessions for the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification and others that directly relate to my work in NA-243, in addition to sessions on emerging technologies and modernization planning,” said Erin, a fellow in the NA-243 Office of Nuclear Verification who has a Master of Arts in global affairs and international peace from the University of Notre Dame.
“The virtual conference gave me the opportunity to attend multiple presentations and panel sessions covering topics such as assessing and deploying emerging technologies, radioactive materials security, and nuclear archiving and forensics—all of which are relevant to myself and my work,” said Jameson, a fellow in the NA-115 Office of Engineering and Technology Maturation who has a Master of Science in nuclear engineering from the University of Florida.
“I was able to attend various sessions ranging in topics from the Treaty on The Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and International Cooperation in Nuclear Security to Sustaining Nuclear Security during COVID and Increasing Diversity in Nuclear Fields. These talks, along with the networking opportunities afforded by the joint meeting, were valuable in fostering a greater understanding of the everchanging global nuclear security enterprise,” said Katelyn, a fellow in the NA-192 Office of Production Modernization who is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in energy science and engineering from the University of Tennessee.
“Attending the joint virtual conference opened my eyes to the latest and greatest work being done to modernize nuclear material management. The discussion panels especially provided invaluable insight into the field, as I was completely unexposed to nuclear security before starting the NGFP fellowship,” said Natalie. Natalie is a fellow in the NA-115 Office of Engineering and Technology Maturation and has a Bachelor of Science in material science and engineering from the University of Tennessee.
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Fellows gain international exposure via General Conference. This fall, several fellows also supported their offices’ participation in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference, held September 20–24, 2021. Fellows attended coordination meetings and helped prepare materials such as presentations and talking points. The event convenes high-ranking officials and representatives from IAEA member states to consider a range of issues.
“As a liaison between the General Conference team and NA-24 programs, I compiled, coordinated, and edited memoranda and talking points that helped guide DOE/NNSA principals,” said fellow Yoojin Park. Yoojin is a fellow in the NA-24 Office of Nonproliferation and Arms Control and has a Master of Science in foreign service from Georgetown University.
“Beyond supporting my office to prepare briefings, bi-lateral memos, and joint statements for the Secretary and Administrator visits, I represented my office on the Global Material Security planning committee for our side event, Women in Nuclear and Radiological Security,” said fellow Jesse Altum. For the side event, “my team secured participation with DOE and NNSA leadership and engaged partners across the globe to promote the voices of women in nuclear security from various countries." Jesse is a fellow in the NA-213 Office of Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence and has a Master of Arts in international security policies studies from The George Washington University.
Fellow Alejandra González Torres attended the Women in Nuclear and Radiological Security event and shared, “I listened and learned about all the amazing things women are doing in these areas. They spoke about the challenges they face or faced while beginning their work as women in security." Alejandra is a fellow in the Defense Threat Reduction Agency Nuclear Enterprise Front Office and has a Master of Arts in nuclear policy from The George Washington University.
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Grab a seat at the table(top). Fellow Rusty Douzat attended the Fort Thunder Virtual Tabletop Exercise on weapons of mass destruction (WMD) terrorism, which included key stakeholders such as the Office of Nuclear Incident Policy and Cooperation, Office of Radiological Security, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, and Oak Ridge and Knoxville area emergency response teams. The Silent Thunder exercise series utilizes a site-specific, fictional but challenging terrorist scenario that requires players to respond during a crisis management phase emphasizing actions to detect, deter, and prevent a terrorist WMD incident from occurring, and a consequence management phase emphasizing efforts to respond to, mitigate, and recover from a WMD incident.
“I was amazed by how effective the communication and coordination was among this large and diverse group of expert organizations, especially when presented with such a unique, high-stakes scenario,” said Rusty.
Rusty is a fellow in the NA-APM-1.3 Uranium Processing Facility Project Office. He has a Master of Business Administration from Louisiana State University.
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Following the path from fellow to researcher. When Karen Ventura (Class of 2018–2019) was completing her doctoral degree in physical inorganic chemistry at the University of Texas at El Paso, she stumbled across NGFP while talking to a professor with connections at the Department of State. The decision to apply set her career in motion and has paid off for both Ventura and NNSA. From Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development to Consolidated Nuclear Security at the Pantex Plant, Karen’s fellow-to-researcher journey is highlighted in the August 2021 issue of the DNN Sentinel.
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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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