NNSA workforce initiative reaches out to universities

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the managing and operating contractor at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site in South Carolina, and the DOE's Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico are partnering with multiple universities to develop next-generation technology and personnel pipelines to advance the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration's two-site pit production mission.

Through these university engagement initiatives, personnel from SRNS's pit production operations and programs (PPOP) and LANL's Associate Directorate for Weapons Production's Technical Applications Office (ALDWP-TAO) visited the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) recently during National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Inclusiveness: UTEP, one of the largest and most successful Hispanic-serving institutions in the country, has a metallurgical and engineering program focused on materials synthesis, development of high-performance materials, and material degradation in extreme environments.

The visit provided an update of ongoing UTEP initiatives, key capabilities, and recent advancements, and included student capstone research project presentations.

During the visit, SRNS deputy vice president for PPOP Erika Baeza-Wisdom offered an overview of the Savannah River Site and the pit production program's mission during a student seminar while sharing her personal story and tips for professional success.

"Across all industries, there are not many executives who look like me," said Baeza-Wisdom. "Representation matters. It's what makes these students, many of whom are of Hispanic and Latino backgrounds like myself, feel empowered to chase their goals and dreams and to know they are attainable, because they are seeing progress being made by others. It shows them that anything is possible."

Baeza-Wisdom, along with ALDWP-TAO director Robert "Bob" Putnam, were recently invited to participate in a UTEP advisory board, where they will work closely with the vice president for research's office and faculty members to provide input on curriculum and student capstone projects.

Reaching out: Representatives from PPOP also participated in a joint UTEP career fair with ALDWP-TAO, where they spoke with students about the pit production mission at both sites.

"We received dozens of resumes from students and are looking forward to sharing more about our two sites and how we are working together to keep the world safe through our defense program missions," said Bill Blake, PPOP technical applications team lead.

Connections: Since 2022, SRNS has partnered with local historically black colleges and universities to develop talent pipelines. The Savannah River Site also engages in educational outreach with local and regional technical schools and universities, middle schools, high schools, and community organizations to increase awareness and interest in career opportunities for the pit production mission.

In addition to these efforts, SRNS has been invited to join LANL in collaborations with Montana State University and Arizona State University on pit production-specific projects.