2nd Annual POWER SET Induction

Palacios High School’s 2nd annual POWER SET Induction Ceremony for new members was held recently. POWER SET is an acronym that stands for Powerful Opportunities for Women Eager and Ready for Science, Engineering, and Technology.

The 2009-2010 inductees are (front row, l-r): Ashley Bui, Amee Bumguardner, Marissa Dunn, Luz Gonzales, Mimi Nguyen, Hilary Garcia, Sandy Nguyen and Kaitlyn Vacek. On the back row (l-r) are special guests and current members: STP Health Physicist and Women in Nuclear Chapter representative Kathleen Van Daalen (special guest), Theresa Nguyen, Taylor Machacek, Ashlan Kacer, Elizabeth Castanon, Joanna Tran, County Judge Nate McDonald (special guest), Kassie Golden, Vanessa Eufracio, Laura Martinez, Annie Nguyen, Alicia Torres, and Taloria Young. Also speaking at the ceremony were PHS Counselor and POWER SET Advisory Board member Mayra Garcia, and PHS Math Teacher and POWER SET sponsor Stephanie Garcia. A reception followed the ceremony at which the members and their parents mingled with participants of the ceremony, community members, PHS faculty, and STP employees. (PISD Photo/Originally Published in the Palacios Beacon)

NRC AWARDS NUCLEAR EDUCATION GRANTS

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has awarded nearly $20 million to 70 institutions to boost nuclear education and expand the workforce in nuclear and nuclear-related disciplines. Congress provided the NRC funding for a $5 million Educational Curriculum program and an additional $15 million to supplement the NRC’s grant program for scholarships and fellowships, faculty development, trade schools, and community colleges, with $5 million of this amount designated for the Integrated University Program. The Integrated University Program funds are coordinated and awarded through the NRC, Department of Energy, and National Nuclear Security Administration to support multi-year research projects that do not align with programmatic missions but are critical to maintaining nuclear engineering and science.

NPI Partner Schools received six awards under this program for a total of $825,916.

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Climate change bill to boost nuclear plants

Originally published 01 September 2009
by Amanda DeBard The Washington Times

Nearly half of the nation's nuclear power plants stand to earn a windfall if the climate-change bill passed by the House becomes law.

The legislation, which passed by a narrow vote in June, would open the way for nuclear plants operating in states that have unregulated electricity markets to charge much higher prices than they currently do. The price increases would translate directly into higher profits for nuclear-plant operators - reaching into the billions of dollars a year...

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New Power Engineering Technology emphasis created within ETID

The United States is in an energy crisis, prompting power companies to look for young engineers to help solve this crisis.

To fulfill this need for a new engineering and technology workforce, the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University has created a Power Engineering Technology (PET) emphasis within the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution (ETID).

Students are already enrolling in PET coursework, which gives them a solid grounding in electronics and mechanical engineering technology. Although the emphasis is on nuclear energy, the curriculum is broad enough to ensure that graduates will be equipped to work in any branch of the power industry.

“Graduates will have many opportunities. They will be able to work not only in nuclear power plants but also in companies involved in transmitting and distributing power,” said Dr. Jay Porter, program director and associate professor in ETID.

The power industry—the nuclear power sector in particular—is set for rapid growth. In Texas, South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC), Luminant and Exelon have announced their intentions to license and build six new nuclear power plants. These plants will require approximately 2,000 qualified personnel to operate and maintain them.

“The majority of the power industry workforce is older than 45 years, and many of these employees will retire within 7-10 years. It’s an aging workforce, and the power sector needs new young engineers,” Porter said.

To fulfill its immediate, short-term and long-term workforce needs, STPNOC approached ETID and the nuclear engineering department in 2007 with a proposal to create a four-year degree that focused on power engineering technology. The departments responded quickly. A faculty member, Dr. Wei Zhan, spent the summer of 2007 onsite at STPNOC learning about its workforce needs. Using this knowledge, a new curriculum was designed by modifying existing courses.

This curriculum includes a strong emphasis in three technical areas:

--Electronic engineering technology, with a focus in the areas of power, instrumentation and control.
--Mechanical engineering technology, with a focus in the areas of materials, thermal systems and mechanics.
--Nuclear engineering, with a focus in nuclear reactor physics and operation and radiological safety.

To date, the college has received $200,000 from the Texas Workforce Commission towards this project. Students will be taught by faculty from the departments of ETID and nuclear engineering and participate in internships in companies such as STPNOC.

The Power Engineering Technology emphasis is multidisciplinary. It is a joint venture between the Dwight Look College of Engineering and the Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), which is the engineering research agency the State of Texas and a member of The Texas A&M University System.

(Originally Published 08/14/09 in the Texas A&M Engineering News)

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POWER SET Visits Local Refinery

The Conoco-Phillips refinery in Sweeny, Texas hosted the POWER SET group from Palacios High School. POWER SET is an academic program sponsored by the Nuclear Power Institute at Texas A&M University that provides young women the tools and support they need to pursue educational and professional opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math.

At the refinery, the students received overviews of careers in accounting and various engineering disciplines. The students also toured the plant site accompanied by engineers who explained the dynamics of the units and discussed career opportunities (and potential salaries) with plant employees over lunch.

(This story originally ran in the Conoco-Phillips Newsletter).

STP meets all safety objectives in ‘08

Published June 8, 2009
By Heather Menzies
Bay City Tribune

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) held their annual public meeting on the South Texas Plant’s (STP) nuclear safety status at the Bay City Civic Center Wednesday night.

John Dixon, Binesh Tharakan and Wayne Walker, three representatives of the NRC, were on hand at the public meeting to deliver their safety inspection findings at STP during 2008.

According to Tharakan, resident inspector, The NRC conducted over 5,000 hours of inspection activities at STP in 2008.

“Based on these activities, the South Texas Project was in the licensee response column of the NRC action matrix,” Tharakan said.

“This means that South Texas Project fully met all of the cornerstone objectives that are in the assessment period.”

“In summary, the South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company operated STP in a manner that preserved public health and safety in 2008,” he said. …

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Sen. Hutchison Works to Expand Nuclear Energy

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Texas’ senior Senator, sent a letter urging key lawmakers to increase funding for the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Program to further develop America’s nuclear power infrastructure. Texas leads the nation in the effort to expand nuclear power. Texas currently has four applications pending at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. They would expand eight new nuclear reactors in the state. …

(Originally published Jun 09, 2009 -- Congressional Documents and Publications/ContentWorks via COMTEX)

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