AML Undergrads Sarah Cole & Jackie Stone attended the Materials Science & Technology (MS&T) technical meeting October 1-4, 2023. They each presented a poster about the research they do in the AML.
Jackie presented her work on the additive manufacturing of zirconium carbide as a surrogate for uranium carbide. This was her first large conference, and she shares, “Being in this space where people can understand the details of your research is so uplifting. I presented a poster titled ‘Advanced Manufacturing of Complex Zirconium Carbide Structures for Space Nuclear Propulsion‘, and the people that flocked to my poster were so fun and had really interesting perspectives about my work. I loved attending additive manufacturing talks, and learning from people who are doing similar research to mine, asking questions about why they did what they did and having them ask the same hard questions of me. The great people I met and the conversations I had are going to be hard to beat”.
Sarah presented her work on the synthesizing uranium nuclear fuels. She states, “The MS&T Conference provided me the opportunity to witness the global community of materials scientists in action, extend my network within the academic and industry circles of the nuclear energy field, and practice communicating science. During the conference, I had the privilege of presenting my research poster titled “Synthesis of Uranium Nitride Nuclear Fuel” within the Ceramics for New Generation Nuclear Energy System Application symposium. Perhaps the highlight of the conference for me was engaging in discussions and fielding questions during my poster session. This experience encouraged me to approach my project more critically and contemplate aspects I had not previously considered.”
