I write programs to simulate experimental data in order to develop a new method of determining the isotopic ratio of U235 to Pu239 of a mixed sample using the beta delayed gamma rays emitted from thermal neutron activation. This method would be used for materials accountability of spent fuel for nuclear safeguards. I basically take nuclear data and plug it into a well known physics equation that describes the interaction of the things I want to see. I guess you can say that I am a Scientist.

EDUCATION | AA in Liberal Arts at a Community College and a BA in Physics at UC Berkeley. The Liberal Arts had a Math Science and Engineering emphasis.

HOW TO GET STARTED | Check out the programs at the school you are attending or just talk to the professors to see what they are doing. Ask if they need help or if they know any other professors because they are usually doing research and you might be able to work with them on a project. If not, there is always the department adviser who is usually really helpful and knows what is going on with the different professors. Professors usually contact them to email out to eh department that they are looking for interns.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | Strong problem-solving skills, Strong math background, Be independent, Be able to see the big picture of things otherwise you may be wasting your time on things that aren't necessary.

how I got started | During my undergraduate studies, there was this program at school that connects students to professors to do research. The professor I met was a Physics professor, but he was collaborating with the Nuclear Engineering department. He brought me and a bunch of other students to work on different projects related to homeland security. It started off as an internship for one project, but by the time my term ended, I was in the middle of another project and wanted to see it go through so I stayed back.

why this job?| The professor cited non-proliferation applications in the possible experiments I could work with him on and I was interested in Peace and Conflict Studies and Social Science in addition to Physics. I like this line of work because it is challenging and it inherently has something to do with discovering new things and constantly learning. I like Physics because it is fundamental and basic. I feel that with a science that is less fundamental, you have to dig more to really understand it and with a science or research that is more fundamental, there are more applications for it. I don't like just being given an equation to use; I like to know what it physically means and be able to determine if it makes sense.

why I love this job!| I like my job because I can talk things through with my bosses or at the meetings to see if things make sense rather than just being told what to do and not understanding why. I like applying physical laws to learn something new and I like research because I have the opportunity to learn something new. I also like hands-on work; I like being in the lab and making things work, setting up experiments, and manipulating and running machines. My work also gave me the opportunity to attend two conferences in D.C. and a programming class in Las Vegas.

my typical day| Every day is different, but it starts off with discussing what I'm doing and what I should be doing with my boss. My tasks include programming and debugging, reviewing textbooks and articles to make sure our premises and assumptions are right and that our research hasn't been done before, researching programs that already do what I want and the newest databases, and contacting people about databases, similar experiments and literature. I also attend meetings to discuss my results and problems from the experiments.

what they are | A few of the challenges with this line of work would include learning new programming languages or becoming familiar with new software. I have to learn new programming languages either because of the new projects I take on, the new phases the projects have to go through, or sometimes there is a better program to use that is already written to to do what we want. I think the most challenging part of my job is to analyze and understand the data. I have to understand what is important and come up with conclusions that make sense.

all about growth | After my position, I can be hired as Research and Development Engineer 2, which has more experience. This is more of a stepping stone for me, but I was told that if I apply to the department, I could get in and they would possibly fund me; I am still considering it. Usually in research type programs, the department pays for your tuition and gives you a stipend to live off of if you're a graduate student, which is good because I am thinking about going back to school. From my experience here at the lab, I am learning about how research is funded and how to network with others in my position. I hope to lead my own research study.

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