ANS's webinar on finding funding for education
The American Nuclear Society’s ANS Cares Committee recently hosted a webinar examining and exploring ways to overcome the common cost barriers to pursuing a nuclear education.
Moderated by Amanda Bachmann, a nuclear engineer at Argonne National Laboratory, this webinar featured extensive conversations from three leaders in the world of higher education on the many educational routes into the nuclear industry.
Starting off: The discussion was broken into three main sections, with the first tackling how different levels of education correspond to different career paths. ANS’s immediate past president and executive board member Lisa Marshall was first to speak. She shared her experience as the director of outreach, retention, and engagement at North Carolina State University.
Marshall laid out the various motivations, upsides, potential difficulties, and career trajectories that can be expected by high school graduates entering trade schools; certification programs; or associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree programs. She also touched on some of the continuing education opportunities available at each stage of someone’s educational path.
Lori Barber, president of the College of Eastern Idaho, expanded on Marshall’s points by giving a specific example of the one- and two-year degree programs CEI offers. She explained that programs with a short runaway to joining the workforce allow for new opportunities that can be leveraged into furthering one’s education later in their career.
Craig Williamson, director and chief operating officer of the South Carolina Universities Research and Education Foundation, changed tack—exploring what he has found to be the hotspots where hiring in the industry is happening today and detailing the job titles that can be expected from different degrees and certifications.
Funding strategies: Bachmann transitioned the conversation to its next section by asking a simple question: “What are some of the costs that are associated with these different educational goals, degrees, or training programs that people should be aware of?”
Williamson started by pointing to some of what he called the obvious points of advice to reducing the direct, monetary burden of education. He advocated for state schools over private schools, earning scholarships and fellowships, and finding internships early on (whether in private industry or through national laboratory programs).
Marshall pointed to the significant cost-of-living discrepancies in different regions across the country, which has a massive impact on total educational cost. She also advocated for talking to faculty members and staff to find the available resources that vary from institution to institution.
Resources: All three speakers provided concrete advice on how to search for resources online. To help in this search, ANS has collated a nonexhaustive list of specific resources that can help in funding various levels of education. That list also includes a ANS’s newest book, Earnestine Johnson’s The Nuclear Empowered Workforce.
To list to the speakers’ detailed thoughts on finding funding opportunities, along with a bevy of general career advice, the webinar is available here, along with a link to the resource list, both of which are available to ANS members only.
