1. UNIVERSITY’ OF MICHIGAN
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERiNG
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND RADIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
1906 COOLEY BUILDING
2355 BONISTEEL BOULEVARD
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN 45190-2101
734 763-4260 FAX 734 763-1540
http: www.engin.umich.edu —nudear
To whom it may concern (1 of 3 pages)
February 10, 2010
It is my deep honor to be able to write this letter of recommendation for Mr. Jayson
Fetterley. I have known Jayson since Fall 2008, when I first interviewed him for
participation in the University of Michigan Global Intercultural Experiences for
Undergraduates (GIEU) program. This program involves two semesters of preparations
culminating in a 3-4 week international trip to perform work or research while immersed
in a different culture. I was the solely responsible Faculty Fellow for a trip to the
Tetuwan Oyate (Sioux or Lakota) Territory, with home stays for students on the Pine
Ridge Reservation (South Dakota). I conceived of the trip as a joke: commenting to the
GIEU program director that I thought there were parts of the continental US that have
active sovereignty disputes with U. S. government, and where, in fact, the culture is
differs from our dominant culture more than the culture of other “foreign” countries. This
eventually lead to my journey, accompanied by 12 undergraduates aging from 18 to 22
years old, for 4 weeks to what is undoubtedly the poorest, most isolating location in the
continental US. This was the most difficult thing that I have ever done, including
defending a doctoral dissertation at M. I. T. in the mid-i 970s (first woman in my field to
do so, and in the presence of substantial hostility). We were hosted by a leader of the
traditional Treaty Council, which is distinct from the elected reservation government and
recognized by many tribal members as the true, legitimate government of the people.
She, the first woman leader in hundreds of years, is also spokesperson to the United
Nations for the tribe. Our work was focussed on concerns about the environment,
specifically past, present, and future uranium mining activities (I am a nuclear
engineering professor in the #1 ranked nuclear engineering department in the US).
I could not have survived the trip without Jayson, the only male who travelled with us.
He was one of two student leaders who mediated the uninterrupted trainwreck of
issues.
Jayson was in a group of four who camped in two very small tents for 3 weeks, because
the accommodations that were promised to the group did not materialize. They were
literally surrounded by poisonous snakes, coyotes, and wildcats, not to mention gnats
and mosquitoes and uncomfortable weather (from hot to cold). One of the four students
living in the tents, who had never been camping, was terrified. Jayson held that group
together repeatedly. A severe thunderstorm completely destroyed one of the tents at the
end of the third week, and the group moved into a tin shack that became available that
had no electricity or running water, except for the holes in the roof when it rained. The
single-room shack was not much bigger than the tents, and much smaller than a travel
trailer.
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2. Throughout the challenges of the living situation, Jayson got up each day and walked a
to Radio Kili. There, he did whatever was needed from sweeping the floors to
answering the telephones. By building his relationship there, he ended up having his
own radio program, did interviews of great interest to the tribe, and went on location to
at least once (the opening of a new school). Radio Kill, where he worked, is unusual in
that it represents true community radio, and is a true life-line on the reservation, where
homes are spread quite far apart.
Jayson also befriended his host family, which lived in cramped quarters on the land
where his group camped. He did a lot of hard work on the land when he was not at the
radio station, including working with the horses, painting, and cleaning up the property.
Did I mention that Jayson is a great cook, serving as a chef for parties of more than 20
people on two occasions? The host family thought so highly of Jayson that they
presented him with a blanket, a deep honor, the day of his departure. He was
considered family, and the patriarch of the family stated that he would always consider
Jayson his son. It is hard to explain to those unfamiliar with the situation and culture, but
for outsiders to establish trust in such a short time period in the Tetuwan Qyate Territory
is truly remarkable. This usually takes several years of living with the people, and even
then such acceptance is not guaranteed.
Jayson stood out as a leader at other times during the trip. Several of our team,
including Jayson, were honored to be able to witness a treaty meeting between the
Tetuwan people and representatives of a Canadian tribe. He immediately grasp the
international importance of the meeting: we had very interesting conversations
afterwards about it. He further contributed to the discussion without being impolite in
terms of the prevalent culture, which he had quickly figured out. In addition, in a couple
of field trips aimed at making environmental radiation measurements, recorded by a
PBS-funded movie crew, Jayson was articulate and held his own in explaining the
environmental situations and issues.
None of this surprised me in the slightest, since Jayson had already volunteered in my
laboratory during the 2008-2009 academic year. I had offered the GIEU students the
option of going with me to the annual Health Physics Society (concerned with technical
aspects of radiation safety) the week before the GIEU experience. The conditions I
imposed were that the students had to contribute in some significant way to the
projects, write up the abstracts themselves (with my serious editting assistance), and
present their work at the conference. This had been offered primarily because a number
of the students in the group were science and engineering majors, and this would give
them more experience of a different type, and directly relevant to our “mission” in the
Tetuwan Territory. I was a bit surprised by Jayson’s interest, but he ended up having a
statistics background that contributed significantly to several projects. His contributions
were equivalent to those of seniors in my department with several years of research
experience, which is, to say the least, impressive.
At the conference, Jayson was co-author on four abstracts and ended up presenting not
one, but two talks. This turned out to be quite fortuitous, because his second, less
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3. technical talk, ended up being tougher than anticipated. One of the students who spoke
about uranium issues was severely and inappropriately attacked by a mining company
official who was in the audience. In fact, I was later approached by an apologetic
conference organizer about possibly sanctioning the individual who was hostile. The
behavior was surprising given that the talk was basically about a computation that
showed that the radiological impacts of a particular type of uranium mining accident
would be small. It was Jayson’s talk, not yet given, that was actually controversial,
since it dealt with the position of the Tetuwan Oyate on uranium mining: opposed,
contrary to the majority of individuals in the audience. I was personally worried that I
had set up a student for a disaster. But Jayson, who agreed to both prepare and give
the talk at the last minute because the other student author was unable to travel to the
conference, met the challenge. He stuck to planned talk, and handled all the questions
without becoming emotional while remaining focussed on the message. He also did not
start opinionating (inappropriate in the context), but stuck to the points of the work itself,
which were designed to help the run-of-the-mill radiation safety professional understand
a little more about communication issues and the nature of concern about radiation
when working with the public. A former Assistant Secretary of Energy (one of my
personal mentors) congratulated Jayson whole-heartedly after the session. I was proud,
but unsure what I had done to merit having Jayson associated with me!
The technical work that Jayson did was such that he is being included as co-author on a
full-length paper being considered for publication by a peer-reviewed journal. It is
important to note that scientific papers often have numerous authors, but that these are
very selectively chosen based upon intellectual substance of their contributions. Several
other papers will be coming out from my laboratory acknowledging his contributions.
This is amazing considering he never took a single course or credit relating to this
research, so it does not show up on his transcripts. He has followed through with the
work, despite having no immediate incentives to do so, during the revision process,
which has been much appreciated.
I do not know exactly what the qualities are that you are looking for. What I do know is
that I would not mind having Jayson as a doctoral student. Jayson has the drive, he has
the persistence, he has the creativity, he is a teacher who knows how to listen, he has
unusual intelligence, he learns quickly, he can express himself very well, he has
demonstrated a lot of creative problem solving thinking, and, well, he is just plain good
to have around. He has a strength of character and gentle calmness that I have never
seen in such ample supply in any student, in 29 years of being an engineering faculty
member. Perhaps my anecdotes about him will help you appreciate Jayson Fetterley.
Jayson stands up for justice, and now knows about things that I care about, so I guess it
is, in part, motivated by selfishness that I encourage you to open whatever doors that
you can for him. He will make a difference in the world. There is no doubt in my mind.
Respectfully our
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Professor Kim Kearfott, ScD, CHP