George Tsakanikas, Muhammad Fahmy, and James Haldeman have an average age of 26. They grew up with “The Simpsons,” the cartoon starring a bumbling employee of a nuclear power plant. “It’s the only familiarity that some kids today have with nuclear science,” chuckles Tsakanikas.
As members of the North American Young Generation in Nuclear, or NA-YGN, the three Bechtel employees are replacing cartoon images with an accurate picture of their jobs. NA-YGN has 2,200 members who share a passion for nuclear science and technology. They come from the United States, Mexico, and Canada, from corporations, and from bodies such as the U.S. Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Voting members have to be 35 or under, but anyone can join.
Bechtel’s NA-YGN members recently visited a high school in Urbana, Maryland, sharing why and how they got into the field. They list impressive credentials with work on nuclear projects, including Browns Ferry, North Anna, and Calvert Cliffs.
NA-YGN also encourages the sharing of “tribal knowledge” between older and younger members. For example, a more senior colleague in licensing helped point Haldeman to some hard-to-find information listing regulatory guidelines for the system he was designing.
A majority of the gray-haired nuclear professionals who began working on the last generation of plants will soon retire. And with new nuclear plants on the horizon, new faces eager to learn the industry are imperative.
 Back to top
Back to Positive Reaction |
