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Educator Training

In the Lab with Nuclear Scientists: Critical and Sub-critical Assemblies

March 7, 2024|5:00–6:00PM (6:00–7:00PM EST)

All UsersAvailable to All Users



Comet isn’t just one of Santa’s reindeer. To nuclear scientists, Comet—along with Planet, Flat-top, and Godiva IV—is a critical assembly, a type of reactor essential in conducting experiments using fissionable materials. Learn how critical and sub-critical assemblies are used in nuclear experiments in this special webinar for K-12 educators.

A Q&A session will follow their presentation, so send your and your students’ questions to webinars@ans.org.


Panelists

David Ames
DOE NSCP Sandia Site Manager
Sandia National Laboratory

Kelsey Amundson
Research & Development Engineer
Los Alamos National Laboratory

Jesse Norris
Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Moderator

Evan Gonzalez
Computational Physicist
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

BIOS

David Ames

David received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2006 and 2010. His focus was on the design and performance of advanced reactors and fuel cycles utilizing uncertainty quantification and multi-objective optimization techniques. David started at Sandia in 2010 and supported the NASA Fission Surface Power project and other advanced nuclear fuel cycle projects. In 2017, David joined the critical experiments team and authored two benchmark evaluations designed and performed at Sandia. He also supports the Sandia NCS Program as a qualified NCS Engineer and Deputy Program Lead. David recently took over the role of the DOE NSCP Sandia Site Manager.

Jesse Norris

Jesse is a Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he has worked since 2017. The focus of his work is on experiment design, execution, and benchmarking for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Criticality Safety Program. Most recently, this includes two critical experiments within the Thermal and Epithermal eXperiments (TEX) Program utilizing Highly Enriched Uranium (TEX-HEU) and Hafnium (TEX-Hf). Jesse has a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Texas A&M University and an M.Eng. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Kelsey Amundson

Kelsey earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2016 and a Master of Engineering degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of California-Berkeley in 2019. Kelsey began working in Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Advanced Nuclear Technology group in June 2020 as a research & development engineer. Her team operates the critical assemblies at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC) and she is a crew member on all four assemblies. Before working at Los Alamos National Laboratory she worked at the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. She is an active member of the American Nuclear Society, serving as the Immediate-Chair of the Young Members Group, and as a member of the American Nuclear Society Board of Directors, and serves on two working groups for ANSI/ANS 8 series standards (8.19 and 8.20).

Evan Gonzalez

Evan is a computational physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he writes code to simulate how radiation interacts with matter. He completed his undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University in 2017 and his graduate degrees at the University of Michigan in 2023, all in nuclear engineering. Evan is co-chair of the ANS Young Members Group Program Committee.



This webinar is presented by ANS in partnership with the Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy.


Webinar Downloads

Sandia National Laboratory presentationLawrence Livermore National Laboratory presentationLos Alamos National Laboratory presentation
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