Simulations are vital to the safe design and operation of nuclear reactors. My project investigates the probability of nuclear reactions, which is important for controlling a nuclear reactor. I’m trying to make sure the physics and random nature of nuclear interactions are being treating correctly in the simulations, and figure out ways to make the simulations run faster.

Last year, I worked with the Computational Reactor Physics Group (CRPG) to investigate different methods for treating neutron resonance scattering in OpenMC, a Monte Carlo particle transport code. I gained skills building and using simulation tools, and I am excited to apply those skills towards a project that looks at a much bigger picture and allows me to play around with the interaction of nuclear plants with society.