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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Sep 2025
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2025
Latest News
From operator to entrepreneur: David Garcia applies outage management lessons
David Garcia
If ComEd’s Zion plant in northern Illinois hadn’t closed in 1998, David Garcia might still be there, where he got his start in nuclear power as an operator at age 24.
But in his ninth year working there, Zion closed, and Garcia moved on to a series of new roles—including at Wisconsin’s Point Beach plant, the corporate offices of Minnesota’s Xcel Energy, and on the supplier side at PaR Nuclear—into an on-the-job education that he augmented with degrees in business and divinity that he sought later in life.
Garcia started his own company—Waymaker Resource Group—in 2014. Recently, Waymaker has been supporting Holtec’s restart project at the Palisades plant with staffing and analysis. Palisades sits almost exactly due east of the fully decommissioned Zion site on the other side of Lake Michigan and is poised to operate again after what amounts to an extended outage of more than three years. Holtec also plans to build more reactors at the same site.
For Garcia, the takeaway is clear: “This industry is not going away. Nuclear power and the adjacent industries that support nuclear power—and clean energy, period—are going to be needed for decades upon decades.”
In July, Garcia talked with Nuclear News staff writer Susan Gallier about his career and what he has learned about running successful outages and other projects.
Uncharted Waters: Expanding Nuclear Outreach and Workforce Recruiting
February 19, 2025|1:00–2:30PM (2:00–3:30PM EST)
Available to All Users
Are your recruitment and outreach efforts reaching communities of people who have been historically excluded from nuclear science education and from participating in the nuclear industry? Do you find yourself doing the same few events for the same audiences every single year, such as presenting about nuclear science at your child’s school or posting job openings on LinkedIn? Have you tried to build connection with new communities, but faced barriers rooted in distrust or communications?
This training will help you identify the underresourced and low-income communities in your local area. You will learn how to identify and develop relationships with community gatekeepers, and overcome potential perceived dissimilarity and distrust, as well as logistical barriers to communicating with the gatekeeper or community members. These are critical first steps to expanding truly nationwide access to nuclear science for all.
Senior UX Researcher at John Deere
Jacklin Stonewall, PhD, is a UX and research strategy expert with a decade of experience guiding teams through the muddy waters of research to deliver clarity on the other side. She is passionate about recruiting the right people, research as community engagement, setting products up for success, and sharing knowledge. Jacklin is a proud hat trick graduate of Iowa State University.
