Introducing Alyssa Hayes: Hayes’s primary nuclear policy interest is capitalizing on the potential to see legislation that productively supports the end goals of President Trump’s recent nuclear-related executive orders. She seeks to focus on enabling “the ramp up of new nuclear civil assets,” expand and encourage the ability to build both large and small non-LWR reactors, and ultimately help companies “get to market in a way that is more accessible” without sacrificing our safety culture. She also hopes to be able to share her expertise in fusion to efficiently fill critical knowledge gaps in the sector.
That expertise has been built through her time as a nuclear engineering Ph.D. candidate and graduate researcher at the University of Tennessee. Her research focuses on the erosion of plasma facing components in tokamaks through large heat and particle fluxes. Using Monte Carlo modeling and simulation, she compares results against data from the General Atomics’ DIII-D National Fusion Facility.
This fellowship won’t be Hayes’s first experience in the government. At the age of 14, her first job was interning for Illinois state Sen. Melinda Bush, a role that sparked her interest in public policy. While conducting undergraduate research in fusion and earning a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Illinois, Hayes was involved in efforts to save both Quad Cities and Clinton nuclear power plants.
While pursuing her master’s degree at UT, she joined the Nuclear Engineering Student Delegation, a group that formulates a policy statement on nuclear science and technology and meets with key figures in Washington, D.C., to discuss the future of the sector. She also joined nuclear advocacy nonprofit Generation Atomic, where she worked to stop the closure of Diablo Canyon, Byron, and Dresden nuclear power plants.
Hayes looks forward to the opportunity to transition from her extensive experience in nuclear advocacy to gaining more insight into the policymaking process, working on legislation, and capitalizing on the moment.
Introducing Benjamin Kasper: After completing a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Ohio State University in 2015, Kasper considered three paths: pursuing a higher degree, entering the industry, or joining the navy.
He decided to follow his passion for energy abundance by pursuing a master’s in nuclear engineering at OSU. He described the period as being “in between nuclear renaissances,” explaining that many of his career prospects involved participating in plant shutdowns. This was despite the fact that, in Kasper’s view, nuclear is a largely “solved technology” that could’ve been being far more broadly deployed. He realized then “that we don’t have a technology problem, we have a policy problem.”
When Kasper expressed his frustration to one of his graduate school professors, they told him about the ANS Congressional Fellowship, and he set his sights on becoming a fellow. However, without a Ph.D. or relevant work experience, he did not meet the prerequisites to apply, so he decided to walk down another path he had considered at the end of his undergrad by enlisting in the U.S. Navy. There, he served as a junior officer onboard the USS Maryland, an Ohio-class nuclear submarine, for three years. After his time on the Maryland, Kasper was stationed in Washington, D.C., as an executive officer within the Nuclear Weapons Surety Acquisition Branch of the Navy’s Strategic Systems Program.
Having acquired the necessary experience, Kasper is now preparing for his fellowship in a markedly different atmosphere. “There has been a very interesting shift. Industry is thriving; we have nuclear start-ups that are hiring instead of figuring out who they’re going to let go. But I still think the policy piece is important, because we don’t want this momentum to die before we get a product out there.”
“It’s weird to think of nuclear as a nascent industry because we’re old—we’ve been around since the ’50s—and yet our potential is still so close to being unleashed.” Now, Kasper looks to Congress excited to keep momentum moving and help wherever he can.
A word from ANS: Looking to the coming year with excitement, John Starkey, director of public policy at ANS, said, “The presence of ANS Fellows on Capitol Hill comes at a pivotal moment, as nuclear energy experiences growing success and heightened national awareness. I’m excited to see Alyssa and Ben apply their technical expertise to make a meaningful impact during this transformative time for the nuclear sector.”
