Outreach & Community Engagement Programs

Participant Testimonials

Research Reactor

Student 1
The reactor is my community, my family, and my home. It has given me a chance to grow and push myself to do things I never though I could do. It has sparked a new found love for learning in me, and created a sense of purpose in research.

Student 2
The training program pushed me academically and professionally with a severity I had never before encountered and yet is something I believe has impacted me wholly positively by pushing me to excel. I’ve met a wonderful community through the reactor, some of whom are my closest friends. Notably, I feel buttressed in my goals for the future and education particularly within a scientific career. 

Student 3
Getting the opportunity to work at the Reed Research Reactor really has been life-changing for me. It's given me real-world work experience in an environment that aligns with what I'd like to pursue as a career, as well as let me explore my own niches of interest in the far broader swath of nuclear physics—I don't know of any other place that would let me attempt to build a cherenkov detector and then actually stick it into a reactor to see if it works. And I'm just a sophomore! I don't know what I'll get to do in the next couple years of working here, but I'm so excited to find out.

Student 4
As an international student who started college during COVID, working at RRR gives me an amazing chance to meet a lot of people outside my major, learn to work with people coming from different backgrounds and look after each other. I am very lucky to have this opportunity to join a great team and have a community that's been a big part of my college life. All the hands-on experience and all the training about handling radiation material and emergencies have improved my mental state in unexpected situations in a way that no other experience has taught me. One thing that I did not imagine I would be enjoying is giving/helping the tour. As a junior and a supervisor, a lot of time reactor work is just a part of my daily life, but helping with tours always reminds me how cool this job is!

Student 5
The reactor has provided me with unparalleled opportunities and experiences on a multitude of fronts. Most clearly, I've been able to learn about and gain skills in some pretty amazing things including radiation detection, reactor physics, and systems maintenance, not to mention being able to operate the reactor itself. Additionally, I have gotten to be involved in really interesting research projects, most notably our collaboration with UltraSafe, in which I was able to work with materials for chargeable atomic batteries. However, I think so much of what I have gained has been less tangible but also incredibly valuable. The nuclear safety culture of the reactor will stick with me for the rest of my life and has shaped how I understand the human aspect of safety, especially in scientific contexts. Additionally, the connections that I've been able to build with other students through training, coworking, and helping to organize work have both deepened and expanded my understanding of my peers. It's an experience unlike any other I've had, and I wouldn't change it for the world.