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I recently gave a presentation at the International Youth in Nuclear Conference (IYNC) in Cape Town, South Africa, on the key aspects of a successful young generation in nuclear organization.  Being that one of the new goals of Clean Energy Insight is to share information with the entire NA-YGN Organization, I’d like to share an abridged version of the presentation with you here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First off, the basics:

• What is a young generation in nuclear (YGN) organization?

A YGN chapter is an important tool for professional and personal growth for young members of the nuclear industry.  Here are some examples of YGN’s from around the world:

European Nuclear Society - http://www.euronuclear.org/welcome.htm

South African Young Nuclear Professionals -http://www.saynps.co.za/

North American Young Generation in Nuclear - http://na-ygn.org/index/index.html

I am a member of AREVA’s Charlotte, NC chapter of North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN).  NA-YGN’s Mission Statement is as follows:

“The mission of the North American - Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN) is to unite young professionals who believe in Nuclear Science and Technology and are working together throughout North America to share their passion for a field that is alive and kicking.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NA-YGN activities around North America include:

• Uniting different sectors of nuclear science and technology.
• Representing  the interests and ideas of young nuclear professionals within the industry at industry gatherings and international conferences.
• Facilitating industry growth through  enhanced recruiting and retention.
• Public communication and education.
• Networking and professional development.

So, how can you create a successful YGN in your office?

By first focusing on three key areas (in order of importance):

Individual

promote individual growth and development of your colleagues’ personal and professional skill sets

Community

work to improve the local community through established and coordinated volunteering activities

Industry

if you improve the abilities and skills of your individual colleagues, and actively participate in community volunteering activities, the nuclear industry and your company will benefit in the long run

In my NA-YGN Chapter,  we accomplish these goals through what we have come up with as the keys to a successful chapter:

Keys to a Successful Chapter

Responsiblity Leads to Leadership

Give everyone in your chapter a chance to lead by fostering their personal interests and skills.  Here is an organization chart of our NA-YGN committee members from our chapter in Charlotte: (Click image to enlarge)

Notice that we have many different positions.  There is no set organizational chart that every NA-YGN Chapter must follow.  We create these positions when a need is identified, or when an individual approaches the committee with a new idea on how they can help increase our effectiveness and visibility.  For example, we recently created our “International Liason” position this year in order to get more involved with some of our colleagues overseas.

We also started a “Civic Involvement Project” this past year.  With these new activities, our NA-YGN Chapter will attempt to advance the nuclear industry by educating the general public and policy makers on the benefits of nuclear energy.

Also notice that we have several “Co” positions.  We do this for several reasons.  One is that the position requires a lot of work and involvement that may be taxing on an individual, so we get another individual to help out and share responsibilities.  Another is that some positions require a year of training and turnover before an individual is expected to be able to fully take on the responsibilites that the position requires.

Opportunities to Grow

Provide opportunities for your colleagues to grow professionally and personally through some of the following activities:

Volunteering

List of 2009 Volunteering and Fundraising Activities:
Mathcounts Foundation
Boy Scout’s Explorers’ Post
Engineer’s Week (E-Week)
Regional Science Fair
Bridge Jobs
ASCE Carolina’s Conference
Ada Jenkins 5K Race and BBQ Competition 2009
United Way Day of Action
Second Harvest Food Bank
24 Hours of Booty
Salvation Army’s Center of Hope
American Heart Association’s Heart Walk 2009
Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure 2009
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Engineering Picnic
Florence Crittenton
Habitat for Humanity
Mock Interviews at UNC-Charlotte
Society of Women Engineers Etiquette Dinner
St. Jude Give Thanks Walk
Engineering Freshman Learning Committee at UNC-Charlotte
Mud Volleyball with Habitat for Humanity

Networking

Nuclear industry networking events include YGN annual conferences, professional group conferences and workshops like the American Nuclear Society (www.ans.org), and International Youth in Nuclear Congress (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Youth_Nuclear_Congress).

You can also coordinate networking activities with other NA-YGN Chapters in your area through social activites.

Social Activities

Another good way to develop the social and networking skills of your nuclear professionals include participating in or coordinating social activites.  Activities like these can truly benefit an industry known for having a wealth of engineers and scientists.

Some social activities that we participate in in Charlotte include events at the National Whitewater Center (http://www.usnwc.org/), bowling at Strike City Charlotte (http://strikecitycharlotte.com/), and go-karting at Victory Lane (http://www.377fast.com/).

Activities like these give your chapter a chance to kick back and get to know one another.  They also serve as an effective recruitment and retention tool for employees.

Pro-Nuclear Energy Advocacy Activities

Participating in pro-nuclear advocacy campaigns is another way to sharpen the public speaking and communications skill sets of your members.  In Charlotte, we have come up with a few different activities that do just that.

Speaker’s Bureau

Our “Speaker’s Bureau” is a group of individuals who are preparing a basic presentation that will hopefully educate the general public on the benefits of the cheapest, cleanest, safest, and most reliable form of energy–nuclear energy.  The current plan is to target local schools and community organizations.

Letter Writing Campaign

Our self-explanatory “Letter Writing Campaign” is an attempt to show pro-nuclear energy support to policy makers at the local, state, and national levels, as well as local and national media publications.

Plant Tour Initiative

Our “Plant Tour Initiative” is planning to invite policy-makers from all over the state to visit nuclear energy facilities in their districts.  This will allow the politicians to become familiar with what the industry is doing in their state.  In North Carolina, the nuclear industry is an important part of the economy.  We hope to educate our politicians on our continued safe operations that generate millions of dollars in revenue for the state on a yearly basis.

Opportunities to Learn

Our NA-YGN Chapter offers opportunities for our individual members to learn through what we call “Brown Bag Presentations.”  These presentations are held over lunch, and are given by experts from our own office or even from other companies around Charlotte.  Some of these brown bags include presentations on:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Digital Control Upgrades
• St. Lucie Steam Generator Replacement Outage Presentation
• Introduction to Nuclear Power and Nuclear Physics
• Design Basis vs. Licensing Basis, Licensing Documents, 10 CFR
• Codes and Standards
• Fundamentals of Seismic Design
• Piping Analysis and Support Restraint Design
• Technical Writing
• Materials Selection
• Human Factors Engineering
• Defending Nuclear - A Presentation on Advocacy
• Fire Protection Design
• Electrical Grid Overview
• Anchorage Design
• Welding and Welding Design
• Valves and Pumps
• Financial Planning Workshop Presented by Fidelity Investments

Professional Exposure

Civic Involvement

Encourage your members to get involved in promoting the nuclear industry in a number of arenas.  The picture below is from a trip that NA-YGN took to Capitol Hill during our National Conference in Washington DC.  We got to stand in during some Senate Energy Committee votes on some nuclear energy provisions in the 2009 cap-and-trade energy bill.

Conferences

Encourage and provide your members the opportunities to attend professional conferences like the annual NA-YGN Conference, American Nuclear Society conferences and Women in Nuclear Conferences.  The picture below is from the NA-YGN Annual Conference in San Francisco.  The theme was “Go Green.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speakers

It’s also good to give your members opportunities to get involved by hearing some of the leading pro-nuclear industry voices in the industry speak about current events.  Below is Patrick Moore, co-founder of GreenPeace, who is now one of the most prominent voices in the nuclear industry.  Mr. Moore is Co-Chair of the CASE Energy Coalition, a pro-nuclear organization (http://casenergy.org/).  When Mr. Moore is in town, be sure to notify your NA-YGN members of the opportunity to hear him speak.  Give them the chance to let him know what the young generation in the industry is doing to help foster the nuclear renaissance.

What’s Next for Professional Exposure?

The latest participation by my NA-YGN Chapter in professional exposure has been in the form of pro-nuclear advocacy on this website, Clean Energy Insight.  Mike Bloom and myself created this website in the Summer of 2009 to be a tool to help other young nuclear industry members to get involved with advocating their industry and reach out to the public on nuclear energy issues.

Currently, we are using Clean Energy Insight as a tool for NA-YGN members to:

1. Educate and raise awareness of nuclear power for the general public by dispelling myths, and putting nuclear facts into new and eye-opening perspectives.
2. Serve as an online tool for NA-YGN, i.e. sharing information like advocacy program experiences with other chapters.
3. Showcase NA-YGN activities that include volunteering, advocacy, and networking activities.
4. Personalize and re-vamp the public’s perception of the nuclear industry.

With the recent addition of almost 6,000 NA-YGN members to the potential field of contributors and supporters, Clean Energy Insight hopes to become a staple mouthpiece for the young generation’s ideas, actions, and accomplishments.

Here is an example of how we are presenting nuclear energy facts in new ways.  This image is from our “What Does Renewable Energy Look Like?” blog that compared land usage of nuclear to solar photovoltaic and wind energies.  As you can see, nuclear has the advantage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funding is Essential

Funding is essential for any functional NA-YGN Chapter.  Everything will cost you some amount of money, from sending people to International Youth in Nuclear conferences to buying soccer balls, cones, and water for a weekly after-work soccer game.  The way that NA-YGN secures funding is through company support.

At AREVA, we are fortunate to have extremely supportive executives that ensure that NA-YGN has the tools to develop our individual members’ skill sets and to promote the entire nuclear industry through activities like community volunteerism and pro-nuclear advocacy.

Without the help of our executive sponsors, our NA-YGN Chapter would not have the tools and encouragement that we need to have an effective and successful NA-YGN Chapter.

How to Guarantee Funding?

The best way to guarantee funding is to prove to your executive sponsors that you can effectively improve the skill sets of your colleagues involved in NA-YGN, improve your company’s visibility in the community, and consequently add value to your company and the nuclear industry as a whole.  By doing this, you will gain valuable executive sponsorship and support.

Our NA-YGN Chapter sets up a yearly meeting with our executive sponsors where we present our goals and expectations for the coming year.  This is done with a detailed plan on how we will execute these goals and what it will take to execute them.  After agreeing on an annual budget and a comprehensive Annual NA-YGN Chapter Plan, we do our best to keep our promises and raise the bar on our performance each year.

At the end of the year, we present our year-end results in a detailed End-of-Year Report to our executive sponsors.  Remember:

Success guarantees support.

Sample Chapter Goals

Here are a few examples of our Chapter Goals that have been presented in past NA-YGN annual plans:

• Reducing our yearly budget
• Increasing active membership (percentage of NA-YGN members actively involved in NA-YGN activities)
• Ensure more professional conference attendance
• Perform over 1,000 hours of community volunteer service
• Plan at least three (3) events with local NA-YGN Chapters
• Plan at least two (2) events with other AREVA NA-YGN Chapters

Setting precise goals that set the bar high, but are also reasonably achievable offer you the best way for your NA-YGN Chapter to be effective and successful.

Conclusion

A successful young nuclear professionals organization is one that is defined by involvement!

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The author would like to acknowledge Dr. Landon Kanner, as well as past Co-Chairs of the AREVA NA-YGN Charlotte Chapter Juan “Jonny” Abendaño and Matt Santore for their contributions to this presentation.

The author would like to recognize former NA-YGN Public Information Chair Sarah Leversee as a co-contributor to this effort.

For a link to this document, click here.

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The North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN) unites young professionals who believe in nuclear science and technology and are working together throughout North America to share their passion for a field that is alive and kicking!

NA-YGN believes that nuclear energy must be part of our solution for a balanced and secure energy mix.

Nuclear energy is:

Safe and Secure

The nuclear industry’s safety performance is among the best of any energy sector.  Nuclear plants are the most secure industrial facilities, and were so even prior to 9/11.  The industry has invested $2.1 billion above its ongoing security expenses to enhance its security and safety measures [1].

Reliable

Since 1990, commercial U.S. nuclear power plant capacity factors have risen from 66% to nearly 92% in 2007 [2]. When combined with power uprates, this results in an output increase equivalent to adding 29 new 1000-megawatt power plants.

Nuclear power accounts for nearly 20% of all power production in the United States and 16% of all power production in the world [3,4].

Cost Competitive

Since 2006, the average electricity production cost for nuclear power was 1.72 cents per kilowatt-hour, versus 2.37 cents for coal-fired plants, 6.75 cents for gas, and 9.63 cents for petroleum [6].

Nuclear is the only power industry that accounts for all its byproducts and includes in its price the cost of waste management and plant decommissioning.

Clean

Nuclear energy is the world’s largest source of emissions-free energy. It accounts for 74% of emissions-free energy in the United States.

One uranium nuclear fuel pellet the size of the tip of your little finger can produce the equivalent amount of energy provided by 1,780 pounds of coal, 149 gallons of oil, or 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas [5].

Engine for Job Creation

Construction of new reactors will yield an estimated 610,000 jobs in the nuclear industry.  Currently, there are competitive opportunities for technicians, engineers and skilled trade workers ready to be filled [7].

The Future

The Department of Energy projects a 21 % increase in electricity demands by 2030.  The nuclear industry has responded to the demand with 17 applications for 26 new reactors. These are currently being reviewed by the NRC [2].

The federal loan guarantee program is necessary component for building new nuclear power plants.  Loan guarantees give the nuclear industry the financial stability to move forward with hiring and new plant construction.

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 1.  Nuclear Energy Institute, Nuclear Power Plant Security, Accessed 31 January 2009 from http://www.nei.org/filefolder/Nuclear_Power_Plant_Security_Feb2008.pdf  
2.  United States Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration,   Accessed 31 January 2009 from http://www.eia.doe.gov/fuelnuclear.html

3.  Nuclear Energy Institute, U.S. Electricity Generation Fuel Shares, Accessed   31 January 2009 from
http://www.nei.org/resourcesandstats/documentlibrary/reliableandaffordableenergy/graphicsandcharts/uselectricitygenerationfuelshares/ 

4.  Nuclear Energy Institute, World Nuclear Power Generation and Capacity.   Accessed 31 January 2009 from http://www.nei.org/resourcesandstats/documentlibrary/reliableandaffordableenergy/graphicsandcharts/worldnucleargenerationandcapacity/   
5.  Nuclear Energy Institute, Emissions Free Sources, Accessed 31 January 2009 from http://www.nei.org/filefolder/Infographic_Emission_Free_Sources_2007.jpg  

6.   Nuclear Energy Institute, U.S. Electricity Production Cost. Accessed 31   January 2009 from http://www.nei.org/filefolder/u.s._electricity_production_costs.ppt

  7.  Clean and Safe Energy Coalition, Job Creation in the Nuclear Renaissance, Accessed 31 January 2009 from http://www.cleansafeenergy.org/LinkClick.aspx?link=CASEnergywForewordpg.6.pdf&tabid=243

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How was the Cape Town International Youth in Nuclear Conference (IYNC) meeting?  

To quote Kansas State student and attendee Sam Brinton– “Amazing.”

Nothing compares to breaking free from the northern hemisphere for the first time to attend your first global youth in nuclear conference. South Africa was a wonderful host for this international meeting which focused on building international collaboration and understanding for young professionals and students in nuclear science and technology.

Many of the North American delegates arrived to Cape Town on Sunday, July 11th. That’s right World Cup fans… We were in South Africa for the World Cup finals. What could be a better way to begin a week long international journey, than by joining together with global visitors to watch the final game from the massively populated “fan centers” that were placed in Cape Town for everyone who didn’t actually have tickets for the final game. For those of us who were less than diligent with keeping up with the World Cup, the Vuvuzela horns stole the show.

After the excitement died down from the World Cup, the North American delegates were able to bond with the rest of the international delegates during a day of team building. The team building consisted of a series of IYNC games developed to make diverse teams compete on a physical, intellectual and on a teamwork levels. Teams competed in six competitions that included a very competitive 3 step jump, a wicked variation of jacks that used marbles, a nuclear themed knowledge game, learning and executing the uniquely South African Diski dance, blowing the Vuvuzela, team jump roping, and puzzle solving.

Little did the North American delegates know that the Diski Dance would not only become a center point of cultural awareness for the entire conference, but our own Communication Chair and USA Representative to IYNC, Misha Swanson would become an expert. Representing the North American bid to host the 2012 conference, Misha performed a dance-off of the Diski dance against the Japanese and UK bid leads during the opening reception.

Wednesday nights’ cultural event was dinner at a South African winery. Attendees were stuffed full of traditional African cuisine including Springbok Antelope, Ox and Ostrich. The evening’s cultural awareness included an introduction to Zulu cultural. Attendees were all adorned with traditional Zulu face painting and were introduced to traditional Zulu dancing. Once the educational portion of the evening was complete, North American delegates led the Diski dance kick-off to the night of dancing.  Craig Albers (Fluor), Rick Molenhouse (Exelon) and Sam Brinton (Kansas State) all danced like mad men along with European Young Generation Chairman, Edouard Hourcade.

For me, Thursday was the big day… Technical presentations and workshops continued during the day, but I was waiting for the IYNC board meeting. During the board meeting, I helped to co-present the North American bid to host the 2012 IYNC conference in Charlotte North Carolina. I can honestly say I am glad I didn’t have to decide between the three bids. The Japanese’s suggested conference theme of “Young professionals dedicating themselves to a lifetime of non-proliferation and technical tours of the memorial at Hiroshima” and the UK’s fantastic cultural prospects of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London were tough pitches to follow.  In the end, Charlotte’s unique bid feature of embedding a professional development track of strategic planning into the normally technical IYNC schedule won the board’s favor. Once the decision was official, the North American delegation proceeded to stay-up into the wee hours of the night face book posting, emailing and skyping with colleagues all through North America to  tell them the news.

I do not want to leave out the most important aspect of our free time in Cape Town. What most of us North American’s did with our free time was shop, shop, shop.  And what did we shop for, we were shopping for Vuvuzelas. I’m pretty sure the North American delegates can open a Vuvuzela store with the number of those horns we brought back with us. These horns make a lot of noise and go perfectly with the Diski dance and the conference theme song of Waka Waka by Shakira.

The Charlotte planning team will have to work hard to make the international delegates feel as warm and welcomed as the South Africans did this year.  The conference truly was “Amazing” and I cannot wait to attend the 2012 joint IYNC/NA-YGN conference in Charlotte.

Be heard.

Do you want to make a difference in the energy debate?

Do you want your voice to be heard all over the world?

Do you want to ensure that clean, safe, and reliable energy is being used?

Contribute to a pro-nuclear website that is doing all of the above.

Join us.

Email us at cleanenergyinsight@na-ygn.org to apply to be a regular contributor.

A North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN) website.

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Exelon employees from the Braidwood Nuclear Generation Station outside of Chicago, Illinois recently changed the game when it comes to nuclear power advocacy in the United States.  Led by their North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN) Chapter, Braidwood Generating Station has started a nuclear power education program called Nuke 101.

The program aims to educate 6th-12th grade teachers on nuclear power, in hopes that they will pass this knowledge on to their students–creating a more informed and educated generation of Americans when it comes to nuclear power.

Let’s hope that the Braidwood Generating Station NA-YGN Chapter continues this program into the future, and other NA-YGN Chapters can follow.  This is undoubtedly important to America’s nuclear energy future.

Teachers learn about nuclear energy during Nuke 101

By Jo Ann Hustis

BRACEVILLE – For Dr. Charles Birch, the nation’s pilot Nuke 101 program Saturday was almost a walk back in time with his late father.

“He was a maintenance electrician 41 years for Wisconsin Power, and so, as a kid, I had the chance to understand electrical power,” said Birch, instructor at Coal City Intermediate School and one of 16 area junior high and high school teachers participating in the instructional session, hands-on lab, and tour of the immensely secure Braidwood Generating Station.

“At that time, nuclear just began to become part of Wisconsin Electric Power, so this was a very personal experience for me. I couldn’t help but think of my father walking at my shoulder and saying, ‘Hey, this is something.’”

A first-of-its-kind educational opportunity in the U.S., Nuke 101 was the inspiration of Braidwood Station engineer Morgan Davis and the North American Young Generation in Nuclear chapter at the plant.

“Educating the educators,” station spokesman Neal Miller noted prior to taking the teachers through the giant concrete, two-unit generating station.

“The first time we’ve ever done this. We do plan on taking it to another level, learning what we can here to improve for the next time, and continue building on it.”

The pilot program’s goal was to teach teachers about nuclear power so they can take the information back to their students.

Most of the young engineering professionals at Braidwood Station started in nuclear science by chance. Davis, herself, was introduced to it by someone who invited her to tour a generating station.

“This is an opportunity for teachers to take the wealth of information (from Nuke 101) and pass it on to the younger generation,” Braidwood Site Vice President Amir Shahkarami noted.

Fran Ogden has taught chemistry classes at Seneca Township High School for many years.

All this time, she has lived with La Salle Generating Station in Brookfield Township practically in her backyard, but never visited a nuclear plant until Saturday.

“It’s something I wanted to learn about as much as I could to relay to the students,” Ogden said of her participation in Nuke 101. “We always try to help the students find a career, and this is definitely an area many of them could get involved in.”

When nuclear power came on the scene in 1972, there were 42 generating stations operating across the nation.

Today in the United States, there are 104 operating nuclear plants, supplying 20 percent of the power needed in the country, Shahkarami noted during the instructional portion of the session.

Worldwide, today, there are 439 operating nuclear reactors. Eighty percent of the power used in France is generated by nuclear plants.

Also, another 54 nuclear generating stations are under construction throughout the world today. South Korea alone has 20 operating nuclear plants and another six under construction. Taiwan is currently constructing one nuclear plant. The United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Japan are considering building nuclear plants.

China is building from 12 to 15 reactors into each of its nuclear plants.

“That’s massive,” Shahkarami said.

The maximum number of reactors in any nuclear station in the U.S. is two.

In the 1970s, the U.S. had the technology for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, but not today.

“France, Germany and Russia do have the technology,” Shahkarami noted. “They got it from us. But President Jimmy Carter said, in 1977, no to processing nuclear fuel.”

The United States’ biggest nuclear accident, at Three Mile Island, occurred in 1977. Six years later, the nation canceled construction of the 259 generating stations that were on order.

“Because they couldn’t control the cost of construction,” he said.

China is building a dozen nuclear plants at a time today. However, with the financial crisis in the United States , it doesn’t make sense to build nuclear plants here, Shahkarami said.

“But, how long can we depend on foreign power? We haven’t built a nuclear plant in the U.S. since the early 1980s,” he said.

The back end of the nuclear generating process is recycling. The country is looking for new ways of operating this process. Meanwhile, the nation is storing its spent fuel.

“Sometime, someone will come along with a viable idea for reprocessing spent fuel,” Shahkarami said.

In the United States today, there are two kinds of reactors – pressure and boiling water.

Fast-breeder reactors are not in use in the U.S. today. These are fast-neutron reactors designed to breed fuel by producing more fissile material than they consume.

“They are the type that eventually will reprocess nuclear fuel,” Shahkarami said.

He stressed the importance of spent nuclear fuel not getting into the hands of the unauthorized, especially terrorists.

“Because they can extract plutonium from it, and that’s what makes missiles,” he said.

Braidwood Station currently stores its nuclear waste in deepwater pools within the plant, and in dry cask storage on station property.

“Eventually the dry casks have to go somewhere,” Shahkarami said. “The latest reprocessing techniques eventually take the uranium and plutonium and burn them in the reactors.”

At the conclusion of the tour, Dr. Birch, a social science teacher, noted the Nuke 101 class should definitely be an annual offering to educators.

“We in education are educators for all disciplines, so I would want this to continue, and include grades K through 12,” he said.

“We have to recognize we teach students first, and then, in particular cases, a subject area. It’s a very important experience I think ought to be continued.”