This newsletter summarizes opportunities and culture at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). It profiles the experiences of interns and new employees, highlighting the NRC's Nuclear Regulator Apprenticeship Network program. The newsletter also describes various career opportunities at NRC such as reactor inspector, health physicist, and hydrologist. It provides an example of an intern's positive experience touring a nuclear power plant and winning an NRC grant.

1. VOLUME 8, ISSUE 2, FALL 2019
GREETINGS
of re:actions, the e-newsletter
that highlights the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission’s (NRC)
employment opportunities
and agency culture.
This issue explores the
opportunities and culture at
NRC. In particular, we will be
showcasing the support and
experiences of interns and new
employees
We hope you’ll enjoy this issue
and will spread the word about
all the terrific things that NRC
does every day. Please share
this Fall 2019 Newsletter with
any student/alumni groups
or campus organizations that
might be interested in learning
more about NRC.
INSIDE THE NRC:
What can you do at NRC?
NRC is an independent agency entrusted with the mission to ensure the safe use
of radioactive materials for beneficial civilian purposes while protecting people and
the environment. We regulate commercial nuclear power plants, as well as nuclear
materials, like those used in nuclear medicine, through licensing, inspection and
enforcement of its requirements.
There are so many career directions you can take at NRC as an Engineer, Scientist,
IT or Security Specialist. You could work in programs protecting public health and
safety; protecting the environment; protecting and safeguarding nuclear materials
and plants in the interest of national security; and, assuring conformity with antitrust
laws. You could be involved with everything from setting standards and developing
rules to reviewing the most cutting-edge reactor projects in the world.
It takes a lot of people in many roles to accomplish our mission. Below are so
me positions that you might think about applying for when you finish your degree.
These jobs and others like them can be accessed at https://www.nrc.gov/about-
nrc/employment.html
Reactor Inspectors inspect and evaluate the effectiveness of a wide variety of
activities within reactor facilities. As a reactor inspector, you’ll be able to apply
continued next page
Welcome to the Fall 2019 issue
INSIDE:
2 Nuclear Regulator Apprenticeship Network (NRAN)
Federal Primer
3 Spotlight! NRC Grant Award Winners!
4 NRC IN OUR LIVES: Visit to North Anna!
5 Hello…My Name Is Theresa Clark
About the NRC

2. 2
THE NUCLEAR
REGULATOR
APPRENTICESHIP
NETWORK (NRAN)
NRC is deeply committed to its
workforce, making sure that each
employee has the support and the
opportunity for development that
they need to succeed.
The Nuclear Regulator
Apprenticeship Network (NRAN) is
a paid, full-time 2-year program for
outstanding engineers and
scientists from across the nation
who wish to start an advancement-
oriented career with NRC. The
program is designed to develop
well-rounded regulators by focusing
on skill development in multiple
areas across the agency through
the support of both mentors and
NRC leaders.
Theresa Clark (see story on page 5)
is very excited about the first NRAN
cohort starting this summer. She
explains that NRAN as a reinvention
of earlier development programs:
“The agency has a very long
history, over decades, of having
some sort of entry level develop-
mental program. We looked back at
all of those as we were putting
NRAN together to see what they
did well, where they could improve,
so that we could hopefully take the
best and look at what the agency
really needs in 2020.” After the two
year program is completed the
NRAN will be evaluated to
determine if it should be continued.
It was important to the team that
NRAN has “a cohort feel so that the
participants will go through similar
experiences and have each other to
rely on both during the program
and throughout their, what we hope
will be long, careers.”
continued next page
your knowledge of physical and engineering sciences and mathematics,
electrical phenomena, and the principles, techniques, and practices of
electrical engineering as you inspect, assess and respond to events at
nuclear facilities.
Health Physicists perform radiological, environmental and chemistry
assessments to protect public safety. Being the NRC technical expert will
put you in meetings with licensees, state and local officials and the media
as you implement and explain the implementation of regulatory policies, and
procedures for licensing and inspection programs.
Hydrologists research and provide technical assistance on projects for
improving hydrologic and atmospheric modeling processes for things like storm
surges, extreme precipitation, snow melt and low probability floods on NRC
licensed activities. Hydrologists also identify and evaluate uncertainties and
the quantification of risk related to processes of the hydrologic cycle that can
significantly affect the safety of nuclear facilities and the migration of radioactive
materials through the environment.
Information Technology Specialists provide support to system owners
throughout the life-cycle of their systems to ensure that federal agency security
or related requirements are met. They conduct IT security risk analyses and
reviews and ensure that actions taken by system owners address or correct
identified vulnerabilities.
Reactor Systems Engineers review and evaluate the design, process design
parameters and performance of reactor systems and nuclear fuel designs.
They also conduct confirmatory analyses for currently operating or new reactor
licensing reviews, and they prepare safety evaluation reports often being called
upon to present their findings of reactor system performance, including hearing
testimony on transient and accident analysis, to NRC leadership.
FEDERAL PRIMER
Applying for Summer Employment—
What Do I Need to Know?
Direct Hire Authority (DHA) is a temporary authority granted to agencies for filling
vacancies, when a critical hiring need or severe shortage of candidates exists.
The DHA allows agencies to hire individuals in an expedited manner by waiving
the rating and ranking system (including examinations, if required); suspending
veterans’ preferences; and eliminating the “Rule of Three” – where hiring managers
are presented the top three candidates. Agencies must still post vacancy
announcements on USAJOBS and include information about the use of DHA,
but when the agency identifies a qualified candidate, an employment offer
can be made on the spot and an appointment can be made immediately.
Government-wide direct hiring authorities exist, such as those covering STEM,
cybersecurity and some medical occupations, as do specific ones covering
certain occupations at select agencies.

3. From the very start of the program,
participants begin making
rapid, tangible, and meaningful
contributions as they prepare for
success in a variety of positions
across the agency. Participants gain
real-world experience by completing
3-4 separate apprenticeships,
lasting at least four months each,
with technical experts focusing
on areas of interest, as well as
other areas of the agency to build
a fundamental skill set to support
future career growth.
“Each apprenticeship is tied to a
project.” Theresa explains. “It might
be a four-month project, it might
be a seven-month project. But
we want these participants to
be coming for a reason and
contributing to that so that they’re
clear that they’ve met the objectives
of that apprenticeship.”
The overall goal of the NRAN
program? “We’re trying to take
good; qualified engineers and
scientists and turn them into
regulators, which is a different skill
set. Without seeing at least a good
subset of the things that the NRC
regulates and the ways that we
regulate from initial licensing through
inspection decommissioning those
activities, it’s hard to apply all of our
regulations in a day to day job. If
you’re doing a review of the pumps
and valves at a new nuclear power
plant, it really helps to know how
would an inspector inspect it. What
do I need to write in my evaluation
so that people can understand it
later? It makes it much easier
to do your job and to ask the
right questions.”
As part of its inside of it. It was really cool. I’d never see
commitment anything like that.”
to the
advancement During his internship, Juan always
of nuclear felt involved in the larger goals of the
science, NRC organization. he had the opportunity to go
awards grants to scheduled meetings and town halls for
to institutions to the entire NMSS branch. “It was really fun.
develop the next would try to ask a lot of questions because
generation of all of the staff had a different expertise,
technological developments. Juan Arellano whether that be shielding criticality or
is a model of this development trajectory: health physics. If I had a question regardin
scholarship winner, intern, and soon to be something, I’d always go up to them and
full-time employee in the Nuclear Regulator they would clearly explain what I needed
Apprenticeship Network (NRAN) program. to do or why this process happened. They
were beyond supportive. And it wasn’t
Juan always knew he wanted to work for just the branch. I feel like everybody that I
NRC. When he was a kid, his dad told interacted with was very helpful.”
him about the mysterious-seeming NRC
building near his hometown of Arlington, In the summer, Juan will be starting in the
Texas, and it caught his imagination. Juan NRAN program (See Feature). And while
got more and more interested in nuclear he is has a clear idea of what he would like
materials in high school. When he saw the to do within NRC, he is still excited about
opportunity for a scholarship through NRC the rotations that are part of the program.
to study Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M, ““There’s so many different things to do
he jumped at the opportunity. within the NRC, from security to the power
plant to nuclear waste. You can do so
Since then he has won the Nuclear Grant much. And I feel you wouldn’t get bored. I
Recipient Scholarship every year he was get to really see what I like during those tw
eligible. Last summer he had an internship years, since I’m going to be doing three or
at NRC in the Office of Nuclear Material four completely different things.”
Safety and Safeguards (NMSS). In the
Criticality, Risk Assessment and Shielding What is he looking forward to the most
Branch, Engineers and Risk Analysts/ about starting his new full-time position
Scientists evaluate things like the safety this summer? “Learning more. I’m looking
analysis reports of the transportation of forward to what’s next. What am I going
spent nuclear materials, making sure their to learn next? Because that was, I thought
transportation is safe in terms of criticality that was like where I fit in. I thought that
and shielding. One of his projects that was, or that I told my boss, Hey, I want
summer was to work through a mock report to work here. Like for the rest of my life.
from beginning to end to see the ways that I already feel it. But he was saying,
all the data and information are transformed don’t be so sure. There’s so many
into a public report. other great things.”
Juan’s other project was to create a NRC has awarded 45 grants in fiscal year
database of Frequently Asked Questions 2019 to 33 academic institutions in 19
that are asked of NRC. “A lot of people states and Puerto Rico, totaling more than
don’t understand nuclear energy and I $15 million. Recipients include four-year
thought it was really cool that we were universities and colleges, two-year trade
kind of helping them out to understand.” schools and community colleges, and
And as anyone who has ever tried to teach minority serving institutions to encourage
anything will tell you, “There is no better careers and research in nuclear, mechanica
way of understand a topic than explaining it and electrical engineering, health physics
to someone who has no knowledge of it.” and related skills and competencies
necessary to accomplish nuclear safety.
But his favorite part of his NRC was a little NRC’s grant program is in its 10th year, an
closer to his interests in nuclear materials: we are proud to say that more than 5,200
He had the opportunity to go see a cask students in 35 states and Puerto Rico have
loading: “There’s nuclear waste and they been beneficiaries of the NRC program.
put it in a big container and we got to Check out the NRC grant program details a
see it downloading some fuel assemblies https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/grants.html.
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SPOTLIGHT! NRC GRANT AWARD WINNERS!

4. NRC IN OUR LIVES: VISIT TO NORTH ANNA!
The NRC summer intern program mission is focused on providing college engineering and science majors
a working experience of employment opportunities across the nuclear industry spectrum. This summer,
a group of NRC interns got the chance to tour the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station. Having the
opportunity to see an operating nuclear power plant environment, including the attention on safe operation
through the planning processes and work performed by plant staff, provides an excellent description of
actual nuclear industry operations. The plant has two Westinghouse pressurized water reactors, which
together generate 1.79 gigawatts of power for the region.
As part of their experience, the interns saw the entire protected area of the plant (except for the radiation-
controlled area) and toured several vital areas.
Two highlights from their trip included a demonstration of the North Anna earthquake--a very realistic re-
creation of plant operator response in the simulator that included a shaking machine demonstration—and
a demonstration of one of the few and maybe only fully operating cut away nuclear plant models. Both of
these are very rarely demonstrated. The earthquake simulator is so strong that it can dislodge electrical
connections in the simulator! And the see-through model is very complex to set-up and operate.
NRC very much appreciates North Anna and the Dominion staff for taking the time and extra effort beyond
their already busy and important workload to allow our college summer interns an opportunity to see an
operating nuclear power plant.
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5. ABOUT
THE NRC
Created as an independent agency
by Congress in 1974, the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) ensures the safe use of
radioactive materials for beneficial
civilian purposes while protecting
people and the environment. NRC
regulates commercial nuclear
power plants and other uses of
nuclear materials through licensing,
inspection, and enforcement of its
requirements.
Find out where NRC will be
participating in outreach events
around the country!
HELLO…MY NAME IS
THERESA CLARK
https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/
employment/outreach.html
Theresa Clark is the Deputy Director of the
Division of Rulemaking, Environmental, and
Financial Support within the Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards at the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In addition,
Theresa was part of the team that developed
the new NRAN program (see the Feature).
While that might seem like a very diverse
collection of duties, there’s a very strong
alignment. As a deputy director, her days
are “really driven by what my division needs
from me. It’s a lot of meetings so that I can
understand the projects, and so that I could give
direction on whatever activity is going on. We
have division and office management meetings
so that we can get together and understand
common issues. We have a project to improve
the efficiency of the rulemaking process. It’s
all in the service to making sure that my staff
have what they needed, that they’re getting
their professional development and getting their
goals met.”
“What I do is help ‘keep the trains running’ in
the division. I champion our issues outside the
division, supervise all these people and do what
I can to help.”
Theresa understands the importance of career
development programs at NRC. When she
began with the agency she was part of one, and
experienced a lot of amazing opportunities.
“When I first joined the agency and I was in the
developmental program, I got hooked up with
a branch that does international work related
to the Convention on Nuclear Safety, which is a
basically a treaty between countries to say we
want to regulate nuclear power plants safely
and we’ll share our best practices and our
challenges across the world. I helped plan the
U.S. participation in a conference. It’s just really
cool to see how different countries tackle similar
problems and then what we can learn from
each other.”
“NRC has always been willing to take a chance
on me. It gives me new, exciting projects, give
me jobs that I may have not have felt I was
ready for, but they knew I was.”
As a Deputy Director, Theresa now has the
opportunity to help others advance their careers.
At NRC, career development is ongoing,
regardless of your level. “I work with my staff
and ask, ‘What are your goals? What rotational
opportunities and what training, do you need
to make those goals actually happen?’ I have
frequently worked with staff to help them find
a rotation or recommend them for internal or
external training class or that kind of thing so
that they can learn what they need to get to
the next job. We have more formal programs
like a leadership certificate that they can get
by taking certain leadership classes. We also
have executive development programs. NRC
is very supportive of training and rotational
opportunities so people can do something
different and fun and then hopefully help the
agency develop as well.”
Helping people develop in their career is the
part of her job that Theresa finds the most
rewarding. So rewarding that she mentors as
well. “I really enjoy mentoring junior staff outside
my organization, telling them a little bit about
how I got where I am. And, I usually learn a lot
more from them than they do from me.”
Theresa’s biggest piece of advice is “to keep
your eyes open for opportunities. NRC is—
broadly—very amenable to people jumping into
assignments if they say they’re interested. They
may not always come knocking on your door,
but if you knock on their door they’ll usually let
you in it. A little bit of openness to taking on
something that may not be your comfort zone
can really lead to something rewarding here.”
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
Kimberly English:
Recruitment Program Manager
University Champion Program Coordinator
NRC/Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer
Workforce Management and Benefits Branch
Kimberly.English@nrc.gov | 301-287-0711
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