ORCAS Summer Student Internship Program, 2007

Seminar Series

Seminar presentation files are in WMV format | Download Windows Media Player

June 27, 2007: Sherri Goodman, General Counsel at the Center for Naval Analyses, spoke on the topic of National Security and the Threat of Climate Change. A copy of the CNA Corporation report by the same name is also available.

July 16, 2007: Gene Clark of TradeTech presented The Ins and Outs of Nuclear Fuel. TradeTech is a Colorado-based company with offices in Denver, Chapel Hill, and Dallas, with representative offices in London, Tokyo, and Zurich. TradeTech has supported the uranium and nuclear fuel cycle industry for more than 35 years and is widely recognized for its expertise in trading activities and its comprehensive knowledge of the technical, economic, and political factors affecting this industry. It provides independent market consulting and services and maintains an extensive information database on these industries. Dr. Clark received his Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from Iowa State University in 1972.

July 24, 2007: James K. Asselstine spoke on The Prospects for the Development of New Commercial Nuclear Power Plants in the United States. He recently retired as managing director with Lehman Brothers, Inc., and previously served as a commissioner on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and was associate counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, which included serving as co-director of the committee's investigation of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant accident.

July 26, 2007: Dan Skelly, of DOE's Energy Information Administration, gave a Briefing on the National Energy Modeling System: Overview for Potential Users. He provided a brief overview of NEMS, a summarization of plans for its next phase of development, and discussed application issues. Skelly has been an operations research analyst for the EIA since 1992. He contributes to the development of the NEMS and helps prepare the long-term energy market projections and analyses for EIA's Annual Energy Outlook.

August 9, 2007: Policy advisor K. P. Lau will present the last ORCAS Summer Lecture Series seminar at 11 a.m., Thursday, August 9, in Room 125 of the JIC/ORCAS Building (5100). Lau's presentation is titled A Congressional Perspective on Nuclear Energy and will cover his insights about congressional activity related to nuclear power and how nuclear energy is working for the economy. Lau rejoined the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee as senior policy advisor on nuclear issues to Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) in February 2007. He had previously directed international nuclear cooperation activities for DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy. He has 35 years of combined experience in engineering, management congressional and governmental affairs, and international business consulting.

Summer Students

James M. Bowen is working in the Nonreactor Nuclear Facilities Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory under the direction of Ken Wilson at the Radiochemical Engineering Development Complex. James's current project deals with dissolutions and chemical separations for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership. James is working on his doctoral degree in radiological engineering at the University of Cincinnati. When he finishes he intends to pursue a career involving radiochemistry. He received his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

Harikrishna is working in the Biosciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory under the direction of Thomas Thundat with the bio-sensors group. Harikrishna's current project deals with theoretical work in sensing biological material with micro-cantilevers. Harikrishna is working on a doctorate in engineering mechanics from the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Virginia Tech university. When he finishes, he intends to work as a post-doc fellow with a research group in the nanotechnology field before seeking an academic position in a research university; ultimately he would like to return to India and work at one of the Indian Institutes of Technology or at the Indian Institute of Science. He received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Cochin University of Science and Technology and his masters degree in design engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Nathan Jenness is working in the Biosciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory under the direction of Scott Retterer. Nathan's current project deals with the generation of self-assembled silica nanostructures. Nathan is working on his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering and materials science at Duke University. When he finishes, he intends to work as a biotech researcher in the industrial sector and perhaps spend some time teaching at a university. He received his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Arizona.

Huiping Li is working in the Computational Sciences and Engineering Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory under the direction of Auroop R. Ganguly and Steven J. Fernandez with the geographic information sciences and technology group. Huiping's current project deals with examining the effect of social and economic residential structure on the natural disaster resilience of a community. Huiping is working on her doctoral degree in public policy at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, NC. When she finishes, she intends to work as a policy analyst. She received her bachelor's degree in economics from Xi'an Jiaotong University in China.

Cecila E. Logan is working in the Environmental Sciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory under the direction of Amy Wolfe. Cecilia's current project involves researching ethical, legal, and societal issues (ELSI) involved in nanoscience and technology, especially as they relate to the DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers. Cecilia is working on her master's in public policy at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). When she finishes, she intends to work in state government as a policy analyst. She received her bachelor's degree in political science from Lee University.

Salil Mahajan is working in the Computer Science and Mathematics Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory under the direction of Forrest M. Hoffman with the computational earth sciences group. Salil's current project deals with the analysis and comparison of clustered climate regimes in atmospheric observations and global climate models. Salil is working on his doctoral degree in atmospheric sciences at the Texas A&M University. Salil's intent is to better understand the earth's climate and its predictability, and ultimately to apply that knowledge for the benefit of human society. He received his bachelor's degree in architecture from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur, India and his master’s degree in atmospheric sciences from Texas A&M University.

Alexandra A. Tsvetkova is working under the direction of Paul Gilman at the Oak Ridge Center for Advanced Studies with and Stanton Hadley in the Engineering Science and Technology Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Alexandra's current project forecasts hybrid vehicles’ effects on electricity demands and the emissions associated with the vehicle’s electricity demands. Alexandra is working on her doctoral degree in public policy from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, NC. After completing her doctorate, Alexandra plans to pursue research, consulting, or government work in Russia. She received her bachelor's degree in regional studies from the Altai State Technical University in Russia and her master's degree in political science from the Central European University in Hungary.

Joshua G. Wiener is working in the Computational Sciences and Engineering Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory under the direction of Phani Teja Kuruganti and Mallikarjun Shankar with the modeling and simulations group. Joshua's current project is focused on energy policy and information needs relating to the nation's electric system and energy infrastructure following notable contingency events (i.e. hurricanes or earthquakes). Joshua is developing a report detailing the interdependencies between the electric grid and other important infrastructures. This report can be used in the decision making process in the aftermath of a destructive incident. Joshua is pursuing dual masters' degrees in public administration and natural resources at The Ohio State University. When he finishes, he intends to work in a state or local government position focusing on the development and implementation of environmental- and energy-related policies. He received his bachelor's degree in history with minors in political science and environmental systems and society from the University of California in Los Angeles.

Collaborating Interns

Patricia A. Carey is working in the Computer Science and Mathematics Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory under the direction of David J. Erickson III with the computer science research group. Patricia's current project deals with exploring the effects of global climate changes on a national economic energy model. Patricia is working on her doctoral degree in computer science at the University of Tennessee. When she finishes, she intends to work with a research group in the computational sciences division. She received her bachelor's degree in mathematics from East Tennessee State University.