Engineers are a vital part of the nuclear industry and next week Utilities Service Alliance fleet is commemorating EWeek. To recognize the national event USA fleet engineers shared why they became an engineer.
Katherine Torres, Hope Creek Engineering branch manager, PSEG Nuclear
I became an engineer because I’ve always been a team player and enjoy a good challenge. I have always found the aspects of troubleshooting, investigation, and problem-solving very fascinating. Not to mention that being an engineer is one of the few professions where being opinionated is a good thing! Opinions help build and create new developments and also contribute toward issue resolutions. Every day I go home feeling like I made a difference as an engineer at PSEG Nuclear.
Tara McLaughlin, Fermi, Senior engineer in plant support engineering
I have been at Fermi for more than five years and am currently in the electrical design group. To be honest, I didn’t intentionally plan on a career in nuclear engineering. In fact, I knew very little about nuclear power when I first started working at Fermi. There are so many misconceptions out there about nuclear power and I was fortunate enough to learn first-hand through training and experience about nuclear power and the nuclear industry. My work at Fermi has afforded me the opportunity to meet and work with a lot of great people and I think it is one of the things I value the most as a young nuclear engineer. There is a lot of invaluable information that can be learned from people that can’t be learned by reading books.
Denise Brandon, Columbia Generating Station Plant Support Engineering manager
Good question, I guess it started with my dad in his garage. I was by his side fixing things, learning how they work, and just being excited. One of my favorite teachers in 5th grade got me excited about math and in college my math teacher was able to make it all click. I was in college during the dot com boom and the electrical engineers were all on their way to great things. I jumped in. I worked at Ford Motor Company and Boeing during college and had the time of my life. That road led me here to Energy Northwest and I feel very fortunate to be able to solve new and exciting problems daily. It’s never a dull moment. So in a nut shell, I like solving problems and seeing how things work.
Orlando Bolet, Columbia Generating Station Engineer senior
It’s an interesting question. Engineering word is derived from the Latin word “ingeniare” which was a military term for constructor of engines or/and military war machines. Engineering is a career for a person with a technical aptitude able to analyze and see what others don’t. An engineer is able to analyze a condition and come up with concrete creative solutions. It would be more interesting to tell the tale of how I came about being an electrical engineer. When I first started college, I started in the physics department of “Universidad de Puerto Rico” which is the public College. As I was studying physics I wanted to align myself with a career of real world applications more than theoretical investigations. I changed to civil engineering after taking an aptitude test and switched colleges to Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. While in college, I discovered I had a better aptitude with electrical engineering concepts and the science behind electrical engineering fascinated me more than static physics and structural analyses. I also discovered an aptitude to jump from different electrical engineering classes and was able to learn from different topics.
If I had to summarize “why I became an engineer” it was through trial, error and the love of science in the field of electrical engineering.
In 2015, I completed my masters degree in Engineering Management in order to earn an understanding of business needs but maintaining the engineering aspect of data analysis.
Jamie Dunn, Columbia Generating Station Engineer senior
I became an engineer because I have always been interested in design; this evolved from graphic design to interior design to architecture to civil engineering. My strength in math and my consistent curiosity to understand how things work motivated me to pursue a career in engineering. I now proudly work as an engineer in an industry that makes clean power for the world.
Jolynn Oquist, Engineer II, Xcel Energy’s Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant
I’m able to use critical thinking skills to get into the fine details of an issue and solve the problem.
Paul Nordmeier, Senior Fire Protection Engineer, Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant
This job allows me to use today’s problem-solving tools for yesterday’s equipment issues.