Spring Break
Science student wins fellowship
Research will focus on improving nuclear efficiency
Taylor Short
Issue date: 7/3/08 Section: NEWS
UNT physics and materials science pre-doctoral student, Jeffery Hetherly, was one of nine people awarded a $45,000 graduate fellowship from the U.S. Department of Energy, and the only one from Texas.
The fellowship was awarded on behalf of the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative Global Nuclear Energy Partnership University Fellowship Program. Established in 2001, it is designed to support university programs related to nuclear physics.
"The research will be geared towards making nuclear reactors more efficient and safe and to make the waste they produce less radioactive and decay faster," Hetherly said. "It's really fascinating."
The fellowship includes a monthly stipend and money for tuition, books, approved travel and supplies.
In May, Hetherly competed against more than 100 science and engineering students from universities across the nation such as Texas A&M, University of California at Berkeley and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He said he contacted scientists from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California where he will visit periodically for research.
"This program is important because it will allow a younger generation to get involved and introduce new ideas to this issue of energy," said Srinivasan Srivilliputhur of the materials science and engineering faculty.
Hetherly said he will use advanced computer modeling to research radiation exposure on materials that are used in reactors, which will lead to more efficiently designed nuclear reactors in the future.
"We still have some things to work out; I don't know exactly what I'll be doing yet," he said. "I'll either be modeling the steel that will encase the uranium or the ceramic containers that hold the steel balls."
Hetherly said nuclear engineering and nuclear processes are what led him to become interested in physics in high school.
Since graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science from UNT in May, he is pursuing a Master of Science in physics as well as a doctorate of philosophy in materials science and engineering. Hetherly said he wants to continue to work on alternative energy sources after receiving his degrees.
"He's very bright," Srivilliputhur said, "and his acceptance into the program looks really good for our science departments and the university."
The fellowship was awarded on behalf of the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative Global Nuclear Energy Partnership University Fellowship Program. Established in 2001, it is designed to support university programs related to nuclear physics.
"The research will be geared towards making nuclear reactors more efficient and safe and to make the waste they produce less radioactive and decay faster," Hetherly said. "It's really fascinating."
The fellowship includes a monthly stipend and money for tuition, books, approved travel and supplies.
In May, Hetherly competed against more than 100 science and engineering students from universities across the nation such as Texas A&M, University of California at Berkeley and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He said he contacted scientists from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California where he will visit periodically for research.
"This program is important because it will allow a younger generation to get involved and introduce new ideas to this issue of energy," said Srinivasan Srivilliputhur of the materials science and engineering faculty.
Hetherly said he will use advanced computer modeling to research radiation exposure on materials that are used in reactors, which will lead to more efficiently designed nuclear reactors in the future.
"We still have some things to work out; I don't know exactly what I'll be doing yet," he said. "I'll either be modeling the steel that will encase the uranium or the ceramic containers that hold the steel balls."
Hetherly said nuclear engineering and nuclear processes are what led him to become interested in physics in high school.
Since graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science from UNT in May, he is pursuing a Master of Science in physics as well as a doctorate of philosophy in materials science and engineering. Hetherly said he wants to continue to work on alternative energy sources after receiving his degrees.
"He's very bright," Srivilliputhur said, "and his acceptance into the program looks really good for our science departments and the university."
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