u.s. nuclear regulatory commission winter 2015 newsletter
TRANSCRIPT
INSIDE
2 Spotlight On Power Tools of the Mind
3 The NRC in Our Lives Federal Primer Info Loop
4 HellohellipMy Name Is Joe Giitter About the NRC
GREETINGS
Welcome back to REACTIONS your inside track to employment initiatives and opportunities at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission In this issue we share insights into what keeps the NRC atop employment satisfaction rankings among Federal agencies We spotlight the NRC grant program designed to help select faculty enrich their development and expand their research programs Wersquoll also cover some of the most sophisticated measures used to help carry out the NRC mission of safety and take a look inside the cutting-edge command and control center of NRC security operations And wersquoll make sure yoursquore ldquolinkedrdquo to up-to-the-minute updates on NRC news events and careers Please be sure to share this issue with fellow staff faculty students and others who may be interested in all that NRC has to offer in employment scholarship and grant opportunities And finally from all of us here at REACTIONS our sincere best wishes for a terrific 2015
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 1 WINTER 2015
INSIDE THE NRC Consistently ranked as a top place to work in Federal Government the NRC owes more to its popularity among employees than its outstanding benefits and excellent worklife balance culture According to NRC Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer Jody Hudson it also has a lot to do with how the NRC involves its employees ldquoWersquore 3 across the Government in employee engagementrdquo says Hudson ldquoAnd thatrsquos something we focus on like a laser beam Employees prefer to work in an environment where they are highly engagedhellipthey are less likely to leave they enjoy the work more and they contribute more toward the productivity of the organization PLUS everybody wants to work in an environment where they enjoy coming to workrdquo
Hudson also credits the NRCrsquos strong commitment to agency valuesmdashand making those values part of the agency DNA ldquoWersquore currently pursuing an initiative called Behavior Mattersrdquo he notes ldquoWersquore working to involve all employees to discuss our values and what those values look like in practice and what they look like when theyrsquore violated The goal is to have a good understanding of how our agency values translate into individual behaviorrdquo
Another key focus says Hudson is supervisor training ldquoOne of the drivers in employee engagement is the relationship that an individual has with their supervisor So we focus a lot on our supervisory leadership development programs hererdquo According to Hudson the NRC offers a 14-course supervisor training curriculum based more on a ldquocoaching stylerdquo versus a ldquodirecting stylerdquo and the approach appears to be paying off ldquoWe think this focus helps us be a top-ranked agency Hudson notes ldquoWe are 1 across the Government in the category of supervisors according to the Partnership for Public Servicerdquo
Hudson also describes the power of the NRC mission as a third key factor helping the agency to continually achieve high ratings ldquoItrsquos a safety missionhellipand itrsquos very clear why wersquore here Everyone can understand the power of that mission and their role in itrdquo
With millennials set to comprise the largest portion of the entire workforce in just a few years the NRC continues to look ahead for ways to attract this audience to its mission ldquoWersquore looking at ways to leverage the creativity of our front line staffmdashand push more of the decision-making down and offer more creativity and flexibility around how people do their workrdquo Hudson explains
ldquoThis is something thatrsquos very important to the Millennials Millennials have a very strong interest in being able to have more say over how they do their workmdashand be able to have opportunity for creativity and innovationrdquo he notes ldquoSo we want to have a workplace environment thatrsquos aligned to their needs and their interests so they will want to stay here at the NRCrdquo
SPOTLIGHT ON
Nuclear Education
Program
Faculty Development
To help ensure a workforce capable of achieving its mission the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission offers numerous education grant opportunities to support faculty at accredited higher learning institutions Since the Nuclear Education Grant program began in 2008 more than 89 faculty members have been supported through these grants
Faculty grant awards are used to attract and support probationary tenure-track faculty in the first six years of their academic career These grants may also include support for developing proposals for research and small amounts for initiating or continuing research projects in the recipientsrsquo areas of expertise Awarded faculty may also use grant funds toward course development equipment stipends participation in professional society meetings preparation of papers travel and associated expenses
Other NRC programs include
GRANT PROGRAMS bull Minority Serving Institutions Program (MSIP)
bull Nuclear Education Program - Scholarship and Fellowship - Curricula Development - Trade School and Community
College Scholarship
bull Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) Financial Assistance Program
STUDENT PROGRAMS bull Co-Operative Education Program (Co-Op) bull Summer Internship Program bull Office of General Counsel Internship Program
ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS bull Disability Employment Program bull Nuclear Safety Professional Development
Program (NSPDP) bull Veteranrsquos Employment Initiative
POWER TOOLS OF THE MINDRisk Threat Danger All words that an ill-informed post-Cold War public routinely associated with the nuclear industry in its early days With time we became more comfortable with the idea of cleanhellipand safehellipnuclear power but in the wake of events at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in 1975 and Three Mile Island in 1979 leadership at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission knew it was time to take their efforts to the next level
Enter Joe Giitter and the science of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) As one of the first to formally study PRAmdashas the cornerstone of a Graduate Degree from the University of Tennessee in 1986mdashGiitter found himself at the
frontline of what was to become a discipline of high priority to the NRC Today Giitter serves as Director of the NRC Division of Risk Assessment
ldquoThe NRC Commission approved a PRA policy statement about 20 years ago that states that lsquoPRA technology in NRC regulatory activities should be increased to the extent supported by the state-of-the-art in PRA methodsrsquordquo notes Giitter ldquoSo there was an expectation that we continue to use and expand PRA as appropriate in all of our regulated activities Since that time the agency has been moving toward being a more risk-informed regulatormdashwhich means that we should strive to use risk insights to a greater extent in our decisionsrdquo
So what exactly is PRA and how does it work at the NRC Giitter explains ldquoPRA consists primarily of fault-tree models and event-tree models Fault-tree models use deductive logic to start with an undesirable consequence of some kind and look at various ways in which that undesirable consequence can occur and it requires analysts to think in what we call lsquofailure spacersquo Event-tree models use inductive logic to evaluate how a particular initiating event can progress So assuming therersquos an initiating event yoursquod look at a range of possible outcomes including combinations of system failures and operator errors that could lead to an undesirable consequence Because plants are designed with sufficient redundancy and diversity it would typically take a combination of failures or a significant common cause failure to result in a serious eventrdquo
According to Giitter ldquoPRA provides a systematic way of looking at how an initiating event could lead to a core damage event Not only does it tell you which systems are most important to ensuring that a serious event doesnrsquot happen but it can also help you in the design process to make the design more robust and less vulnerable to initiating events
Giitterrsquos NRC PRA team has two main areas of responsibility oversight providing support to the regions in developing tools and conducting independent assessments as part of the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) an area where the NRC has become more risk informed and licensing focusing on risk-informed licensing applications such as the current effort to transition about half of the operating reactor fleet to a risk-informed licensing basis for fire protection
PRA really is the epitome of the NRC mission to protect people and the environment as it is all about anticipating and heading off problems before they have a chance to occur But as Giitter points out the folks who do this work are few and far between ldquoPRA candidates are incredibly tough to find and theyrsquore paid really wellrdquo To ensure adequate staffing the NRC has begun a ldquoGrow Your Ownrdquo program to take the most highly qualified candidates and train them to the NRCrsquos rigorous standards
2
FEDERAL PRIMER
One of the many Federal Government policies embraced by the NRC to support a positive work environment and a healthy worklife balance is the NRC Employee Workschedule Flexibilities (NEWFlex) plan Designed to help NRC employees succeed at work and in their personal lives NEWFlex allows employees to complete eight nonshyconsecutive hours of work on or offsite between 500 am and 1100 pm Other features of this popular plan include
bull Permissible workdays are normally Monday-Friday
bull Work hours can vary day to day
bull Gliding schedule is possible
bull Telework initiatives are supported
bull Mandatory core hours include 1030 am ndash 130 pm on Wednesday
Participation in NEWFlex is voluntary and supervisor approval is required with full consideration of factors such as office coverage training needs participation in collaborative projects and conduct or performance issues
INFO LOOP
Q Aside from REACTIONS whatrsquos a good way to stay informed about whatrsquos happening at the NRC
A If you are a student or a recent graduate who is currently on LinkedIn you can keep track of more interesting updateshellip current newshellipnew career opportunitieshellip and cool ways the NRC is helping us in our everyday livesmdashall on the NRC LinkedIn page (Search US Nuclear Regulatory Commission) Use this handy connection to find out more about who we are what we do and what itrsquos like to work here Even better you can see who you know who works at the NRC leverage your professional network and get hired Find our new opportunities posted on the College Member Job Board as well as the General Job Board and Career Page
THE NRC IN OUR LIVES
In satisfying its mission to protect people and the environment the NRC is nothing less than exacting in its standards In this issue REACTIONS takes a look at the NRC formula for safety
UNIMPEACHABLE PERSONNEL
As Chief of the NRC Emergency Operations Center Bernard (Bern) Stapleton offers considerable NRC experience and security expertise A former graduate of the NRC Nuclear Safety Professional Development Program (NSPDP) Bernrsquos early nine years of NRC experience included work as an NRC Physical Security Inspector before moving on to 13 years of weaponry experience at the Department of Energy He returned to the NRC after 911 ldquoNRC liked my experience in classified information and in what NRC calls safeguard information for power plants and security programsrdquo notes Stapleton
Recognizing Stapletonrsquos expertise and potential he eventually became a candidate in the NRC Leadership Potential Program and in 2009 became the Branch Chief for the NRC Information Security Group responsible for all security information protection as well as the computer systems for processing classified information This position included considerable time overseas working with professional peers in London Paris Berlin and Vienna Bern presently oversees all operations of the NRCrsquoS brand new state of the art Operations Center
STATE OF THE ART FACILITIES
At the heart of the NRC mission of protecting people and the environment is a sound state-of-the-art security system that is in constant coordination with all US nuclear power plants ldquoWe run 24 hours a day with 12 dedicated operations officers each with strong nuclear education backgroundsrdquo says Stapleton ldquoSome are militarymdashmany formerly of the nuclear Navymdashand some from the academic sector Wersquore instantly in touch with nuclear facilities about any potential issues We also receive and respond to lsquoallegationsrsquo or safety concerns from concerned citizens that need to be addressed and documentedmdashsometimes very serioushellip sometimes even a bit wacky Our work also includes coordination with medical licensees hospitals and radiographers from an industrial standpoint and we also track radioactive shipmentsrdquo
(continued p4)
3
IMPECCABLE POLICIES
ldquoWersquove had to implement several new measures particularly after Wiki-leaksrdquo notes Stapleton ldquoOur particular focus now is to make sure classified info is accurately protected much like we did after 911 when we determined it was not optimal to have detailed information on nuclear power plants available to the public on our website Now that information is only readily available with a properly vetted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requestrdquo Another essential post-911 focus is the relocation of NRC emergency operations headquarters to an undisclosed location thousands of miles outside of the Washington DC area
Stapleton also acknowledges Cybersecurity as a huge area of focus and growth with the formation of the NRC Cybersecurity Directorate Other areas of concern ldquoDrones around nuclear plantsrdquo notes Stapleton ldquoWersquore all over thatrdquo
HELLOhellipMY NAME IS JOE GIITTER
Joe Giitter wears at least two hats at the NRC As Director of the NRC Division of Risk Assessment Joe leads a team of about 60 practitioners of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) (see story on page 2) who help ensure that nuclear plants operate safely and lsquoincident-freersquo And as a highly engaged NRC University Champion since 2005 Giitter ensures that students at his graduate studies alma mater University of
Tennessee (UT) are engaged in curricula most relevant to the nuclear industryrsquos current needs and most likely to help the students achieve gainful employment and opportunities when they graduate
ldquoIrsquove made arrangements with UT Placement Services to have an interview room available when I visit the campus and I also make sure I talk with NRC managers to know what theyrsquore looking forrdquo comments Giitter ldquoI really enjoy the connection with these higher quality students and have them come to the NRC and move upmdashand Irsquove mentored them and itrsquos fun watching their careers take offrdquo
According to Giitter UT offers one of the largest nuclear engineering programs in the country and is actively building its graduate and research program In fact since the University of Virginia and University of Maryland closed their nuclear engineering programs UT accepted their students at in-state tuition rates providing they graduated with a nuclear engineering degree UT also holds two NRC grants for faculty development and student scholarships
Joe earned his Bachelorrsquos degree in Nuclear Engineering from Iowa State University of Science and Technology and then went on to work for Westinghouse He attended UT to focus on the nascent field of PRA and earned his Masterrsquos degree in 1986 After working as a contractor to Oak Ridge National Laboratory on an NRC project to develop training materials for State emergency responders Giitter joined the NRC in 1985 When asked about the NRC award-winning culture Giitter is quick to note ldquoI donrsquot really know of too many micro-managers at the NRCmdashmanagers are really able to empower their staff and help them grow Embodying that kind of attitude gets positive reactions from staffrdquo
ABOUT THE NRC The NRC mission is to license and regulate the Nationrsquos civilian use of radioactive
materials to protect public health and safety promote the common defense and security and protect the environment Created as an independent agency by Congress in 1974 the NRC ensures the safe use of radioactive materials by regulating commercial nuclear power plants and other uses of nuclear materials through licensing inspection and enforcement of its requirements
OUTREACH amp RECRUITMENT TEAM
Kristin Davis Branch Chief KristinDavisnrcgov | 301-287-0707
Kimberly English Recruitment Program Manager KimberlyEnglishnrcgov | 301-287-0711
Peggy Etheridge Student and Disability Programs Manager PeggyEtheridgenrcgov | 301-287-0712
Kreslyon Fleming Outreach Events Coordinator KreslyonFlemingnrcgov | 301-287-0714
Nancy Hebron-Isreal Nuclear Education Grants (faculty development amp scholarshipfellowship programs) NancyHebron-Isrealnrcgov | 301-287-0718
Tanya Parwani-Jaimes Nuclear Education Grants (curriculum development programs) TanyaParwani-Jaimesnrcgov 301-287-0730
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Outreach amp Recruitment Branch
Washington DC 20555-0001 301-415-7400
CONTACT US Blog httppublic-blognrc-gatewaygov Flickr httpwwwflickrcomphotosnrcgov Twitter httpstwittercomnrcgov YouTube httpwwwyoutubecomuserNRCgov RSS httpwwwnrcgovpublic-involvelistserverhtmlrss Facebook httpswwwfacebookcomnrcgov LinkedIn Search US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
RSS Facebook LinkedInNRC Blog Flickr Twitter YouTube
4
SPOTLIGHT ON
Nuclear Education
Program
Faculty Development
To help ensure a workforce capable of achieving its mission the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission offers numerous education grant opportunities to support faculty at accredited higher learning institutions Since the Nuclear Education Grant program began in 2008 more than 89 faculty members have been supported through these grants
Faculty grant awards are used to attract and support probationary tenure-track faculty in the first six years of their academic career These grants may also include support for developing proposals for research and small amounts for initiating or continuing research projects in the recipientsrsquo areas of expertise Awarded faculty may also use grant funds toward course development equipment stipends participation in professional society meetings preparation of papers travel and associated expenses
Other NRC programs include
GRANT PROGRAMS bull Minority Serving Institutions Program (MSIP)
bull Nuclear Education Program - Scholarship and Fellowship - Curricula Development - Trade School and Community
College Scholarship
bull Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) Financial Assistance Program
STUDENT PROGRAMS bull Co-Operative Education Program (Co-Op) bull Summer Internship Program bull Office of General Counsel Internship Program
ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS bull Disability Employment Program bull Nuclear Safety Professional Development
Program (NSPDP) bull Veteranrsquos Employment Initiative
POWER TOOLS OF THE MINDRisk Threat Danger All words that an ill-informed post-Cold War public routinely associated with the nuclear industry in its early days With time we became more comfortable with the idea of cleanhellipand safehellipnuclear power but in the wake of events at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in 1975 and Three Mile Island in 1979 leadership at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission knew it was time to take their efforts to the next level
Enter Joe Giitter and the science of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) As one of the first to formally study PRAmdashas the cornerstone of a Graduate Degree from the University of Tennessee in 1986mdashGiitter found himself at the
frontline of what was to become a discipline of high priority to the NRC Today Giitter serves as Director of the NRC Division of Risk Assessment
ldquoThe NRC Commission approved a PRA policy statement about 20 years ago that states that lsquoPRA technology in NRC regulatory activities should be increased to the extent supported by the state-of-the-art in PRA methodsrsquordquo notes Giitter ldquoSo there was an expectation that we continue to use and expand PRA as appropriate in all of our regulated activities Since that time the agency has been moving toward being a more risk-informed regulatormdashwhich means that we should strive to use risk insights to a greater extent in our decisionsrdquo
So what exactly is PRA and how does it work at the NRC Giitter explains ldquoPRA consists primarily of fault-tree models and event-tree models Fault-tree models use deductive logic to start with an undesirable consequence of some kind and look at various ways in which that undesirable consequence can occur and it requires analysts to think in what we call lsquofailure spacersquo Event-tree models use inductive logic to evaluate how a particular initiating event can progress So assuming therersquos an initiating event yoursquod look at a range of possible outcomes including combinations of system failures and operator errors that could lead to an undesirable consequence Because plants are designed with sufficient redundancy and diversity it would typically take a combination of failures or a significant common cause failure to result in a serious eventrdquo
According to Giitter ldquoPRA provides a systematic way of looking at how an initiating event could lead to a core damage event Not only does it tell you which systems are most important to ensuring that a serious event doesnrsquot happen but it can also help you in the design process to make the design more robust and less vulnerable to initiating events
Giitterrsquos NRC PRA team has two main areas of responsibility oversight providing support to the regions in developing tools and conducting independent assessments as part of the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) an area where the NRC has become more risk informed and licensing focusing on risk-informed licensing applications such as the current effort to transition about half of the operating reactor fleet to a risk-informed licensing basis for fire protection
PRA really is the epitome of the NRC mission to protect people and the environment as it is all about anticipating and heading off problems before they have a chance to occur But as Giitter points out the folks who do this work are few and far between ldquoPRA candidates are incredibly tough to find and theyrsquore paid really wellrdquo To ensure adequate staffing the NRC has begun a ldquoGrow Your Ownrdquo program to take the most highly qualified candidates and train them to the NRCrsquos rigorous standards
2
FEDERAL PRIMER
One of the many Federal Government policies embraced by the NRC to support a positive work environment and a healthy worklife balance is the NRC Employee Workschedule Flexibilities (NEWFlex) plan Designed to help NRC employees succeed at work and in their personal lives NEWFlex allows employees to complete eight nonshyconsecutive hours of work on or offsite between 500 am and 1100 pm Other features of this popular plan include
bull Permissible workdays are normally Monday-Friday
bull Work hours can vary day to day
bull Gliding schedule is possible
bull Telework initiatives are supported
bull Mandatory core hours include 1030 am ndash 130 pm on Wednesday
Participation in NEWFlex is voluntary and supervisor approval is required with full consideration of factors such as office coverage training needs participation in collaborative projects and conduct or performance issues
INFO LOOP
Q Aside from REACTIONS whatrsquos a good way to stay informed about whatrsquos happening at the NRC
A If you are a student or a recent graduate who is currently on LinkedIn you can keep track of more interesting updateshellip current newshellipnew career opportunitieshellip and cool ways the NRC is helping us in our everyday livesmdashall on the NRC LinkedIn page (Search US Nuclear Regulatory Commission) Use this handy connection to find out more about who we are what we do and what itrsquos like to work here Even better you can see who you know who works at the NRC leverage your professional network and get hired Find our new opportunities posted on the College Member Job Board as well as the General Job Board and Career Page
THE NRC IN OUR LIVES
In satisfying its mission to protect people and the environment the NRC is nothing less than exacting in its standards In this issue REACTIONS takes a look at the NRC formula for safety
UNIMPEACHABLE PERSONNEL
As Chief of the NRC Emergency Operations Center Bernard (Bern) Stapleton offers considerable NRC experience and security expertise A former graduate of the NRC Nuclear Safety Professional Development Program (NSPDP) Bernrsquos early nine years of NRC experience included work as an NRC Physical Security Inspector before moving on to 13 years of weaponry experience at the Department of Energy He returned to the NRC after 911 ldquoNRC liked my experience in classified information and in what NRC calls safeguard information for power plants and security programsrdquo notes Stapleton
Recognizing Stapletonrsquos expertise and potential he eventually became a candidate in the NRC Leadership Potential Program and in 2009 became the Branch Chief for the NRC Information Security Group responsible for all security information protection as well as the computer systems for processing classified information This position included considerable time overseas working with professional peers in London Paris Berlin and Vienna Bern presently oversees all operations of the NRCrsquoS brand new state of the art Operations Center
STATE OF THE ART FACILITIES
At the heart of the NRC mission of protecting people and the environment is a sound state-of-the-art security system that is in constant coordination with all US nuclear power plants ldquoWe run 24 hours a day with 12 dedicated operations officers each with strong nuclear education backgroundsrdquo says Stapleton ldquoSome are militarymdashmany formerly of the nuclear Navymdashand some from the academic sector Wersquore instantly in touch with nuclear facilities about any potential issues We also receive and respond to lsquoallegationsrsquo or safety concerns from concerned citizens that need to be addressed and documentedmdashsometimes very serioushellip sometimes even a bit wacky Our work also includes coordination with medical licensees hospitals and radiographers from an industrial standpoint and we also track radioactive shipmentsrdquo
(continued p4)
3
IMPECCABLE POLICIES
ldquoWersquove had to implement several new measures particularly after Wiki-leaksrdquo notes Stapleton ldquoOur particular focus now is to make sure classified info is accurately protected much like we did after 911 when we determined it was not optimal to have detailed information on nuclear power plants available to the public on our website Now that information is only readily available with a properly vetted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requestrdquo Another essential post-911 focus is the relocation of NRC emergency operations headquarters to an undisclosed location thousands of miles outside of the Washington DC area
Stapleton also acknowledges Cybersecurity as a huge area of focus and growth with the formation of the NRC Cybersecurity Directorate Other areas of concern ldquoDrones around nuclear plantsrdquo notes Stapleton ldquoWersquore all over thatrdquo
HELLOhellipMY NAME IS JOE GIITTER
Joe Giitter wears at least two hats at the NRC As Director of the NRC Division of Risk Assessment Joe leads a team of about 60 practitioners of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) (see story on page 2) who help ensure that nuclear plants operate safely and lsquoincident-freersquo And as a highly engaged NRC University Champion since 2005 Giitter ensures that students at his graduate studies alma mater University of
Tennessee (UT) are engaged in curricula most relevant to the nuclear industryrsquos current needs and most likely to help the students achieve gainful employment and opportunities when they graduate
ldquoIrsquove made arrangements with UT Placement Services to have an interview room available when I visit the campus and I also make sure I talk with NRC managers to know what theyrsquore looking forrdquo comments Giitter ldquoI really enjoy the connection with these higher quality students and have them come to the NRC and move upmdashand Irsquove mentored them and itrsquos fun watching their careers take offrdquo
According to Giitter UT offers one of the largest nuclear engineering programs in the country and is actively building its graduate and research program In fact since the University of Virginia and University of Maryland closed their nuclear engineering programs UT accepted their students at in-state tuition rates providing they graduated with a nuclear engineering degree UT also holds two NRC grants for faculty development and student scholarships
Joe earned his Bachelorrsquos degree in Nuclear Engineering from Iowa State University of Science and Technology and then went on to work for Westinghouse He attended UT to focus on the nascent field of PRA and earned his Masterrsquos degree in 1986 After working as a contractor to Oak Ridge National Laboratory on an NRC project to develop training materials for State emergency responders Giitter joined the NRC in 1985 When asked about the NRC award-winning culture Giitter is quick to note ldquoI donrsquot really know of too many micro-managers at the NRCmdashmanagers are really able to empower their staff and help them grow Embodying that kind of attitude gets positive reactions from staffrdquo
ABOUT THE NRC The NRC mission is to license and regulate the Nationrsquos civilian use of radioactive
materials to protect public health and safety promote the common defense and security and protect the environment Created as an independent agency by Congress in 1974 the NRC ensures the safe use of radioactive materials by regulating commercial nuclear power plants and other uses of nuclear materials through licensing inspection and enforcement of its requirements
OUTREACH amp RECRUITMENT TEAM
Kristin Davis Branch Chief KristinDavisnrcgov | 301-287-0707
Kimberly English Recruitment Program Manager KimberlyEnglishnrcgov | 301-287-0711
Peggy Etheridge Student and Disability Programs Manager PeggyEtheridgenrcgov | 301-287-0712
Kreslyon Fleming Outreach Events Coordinator KreslyonFlemingnrcgov | 301-287-0714
Nancy Hebron-Isreal Nuclear Education Grants (faculty development amp scholarshipfellowship programs) NancyHebron-Isrealnrcgov | 301-287-0718
Tanya Parwani-Jaimes Nuclear Education Grants (curriculum development programs) TanyaParwani-Jaimesnrcgov 301-287-0730
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Outreach amp Recruitment Branch
Washington DC 20555-0001 301-415-7400
CONTACT US Blog httppublic-blognrc-gatewaygov Flickr httpwwwflickrcomphotosnrcgov Twitter httpstwittercomnrcgov YouTube httpwwwyoutubecomuserNRCgov RSS httpwwwnrcgovpublic-involvelistserverhtmlrss Facebook httpswwwfacebookcomnrcgov LinkedIn Search US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
RSS Facebook LinkedInNRC Blog Flickr Twitter YouTube
4
FEDERAL PRIMER
One of the many Federal Government policies embraced by the NRC to support a positive work environment and a healthy worklife balance is the NRC Employee Workschedule Flexibilities (NEWFlex) plan Designed to help NRC employees succeed at work and in their personal lives NEWFlex allows employees to complete eight nonshyconsecutive hours of work on or offsite between 500 am and 1100 pm Other features of this popular plan include
bull Permissible workdays are normally Monday-Friday
bull Work hours can vary day to day
bull Gliding schedule is possible
bull Telework initiatives are supported
bull Mandatory core hours include 1030 am ndash 130 pm on Wednesday
Participation in NEWFlex is voluntary and supervisor approval is required with full consideration of factors such as office coverage training needs participation in collaborative projects and conduct or performance issues
INFO LOOP
Q Aside from REACTIONS whatrsquos a good way to stay informed about whatrsquos happening at the NRC
A If you are a student or a recent graduate who is currently on LinkedIn you can keep track of more interesting updateshellip current newshellipnew career opportunitieshellip and cool ways the NRC is helping us in our everyday livesmdashall on the NRC LinkedIn page (Search US Nuclear Regulatory Commission) Use this handy connection to find out more about who we are what we do and what itrsquos like to work here Even better you can see who you know who works at the NRC leverage your professional network and get hired Find our new opportunities posted on the College Member Job Board as well as the General Job Board and Career Page
THE NRC IN OUR LIVES
In satisfying its mission to protect people and the environment the NRC is nothing less than exacting in its standards In this issue REACTIONS takes a look at the NRC formula for safety
UNIMPEACHABLE PERSONNEL
As Chief of the NRC Emergency Operations Center Bernard (Bern) Stapleton offers considerable NRC experience and security expertise A former graduate of the NRC Nuclear Safety Professional Development Program (NSPDP) Bernrsquos early nine years of NRC experience included work as an NRC Physical Security Inspector before moving on to 13 years of weaponry experience at the Department of Energy He returned to the NRC after 911 ldquoNRC liked my experience in classified information and in what NRC calls safeguard information for power plants and security programsrdquo notes Stapleton
Recognizing Stapletonrsquos expertise and potential he eventually became a candidate in the NRC Leadership Potential Program and in 2009 became the Branch Chief for the NRC Information Security Group responsible for all security information protection as well as the computer systems for processing classified information This position included considerable time overseas working with professional peers in London Paris Berlin and Vienna Bern presently oversees all operations of the NRCrsquoS brand new state of the art Operations Center
STATE OF THE ART FACILITIES
At the heart of the NRC mission of protecting people and the environment is a sound state-of-the-art security system that is in constant coordination with all US nuclear power plants ldquoWe run 24 hours a day with 12 dedicated operations officers each with strong nuclear education backgroundsrdquo says Stapleton ldquoSome are militarymdashmany formerly of the nuclear Navymdashand some from the academic sector Wersquore instantly in touch with nuclear facilities about any potential issues We also receive and respond to lsquoallegationsrsquo or safety concerns from concerned citizens that need to be addressed and documentedmdashsometimes very serioushellip sometimes even a bit wacky Our work also includes coordination with medical licensees hospitals and radiographers from an industrial standpoint and we also track radioactive shipmentsrdquo
(continued p4)
3
IMPECCABLE POLICIES
ldquoWersquove had to implement several new measures particularly after Wiki-leaksrdquo notes Stapleton ldquoOur particular focus now is to make sure classified info is accurately protected much like we did after 911 when we determined it was not optimal to have detailed information on nuclear power plants available to the public on our website Now that information is only readily available with a properly vetted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requestrdquo Another essential post-911 focus is the relocation of NRC emergency operations headquarters to an undisclosed location thousands of miles outside of the Washington DC area
Stapleton also acknowledges Cybersecurity as a huge area of focus and growth with the formation of the NRC Cybersecurity Directorate Other areas of concern ldquoDrones around nuclear plantsrdquo notes Stapleton ldquoWersquore all over thatrdquo
HELLOhellipMY NAME IS JOE GIITTER
Joe Giitter wears at least two hats at the NRC As Director of the NRC Division of Risk Assessment Joe leads a team of about 60 practitioners of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) (see story on page 2) who help ensure that nuclear plants operate safely and lsquoincident-freersquo And as a highly engaged NRC University Champion since 2005 Giitter ensures that students at his graduate studies alma mater University of
Tennessee (UT) are engaged in curricula most relevant to the nuclear industryrsquos current needs and most likely to help the students achieve gainful employment and opportunities when they graduate
ldquoIrsquove made arrangements with UT Placement Services to have an interview room available when I visit the campus and I also make sure I talk with NRC managers to know what theyrsquore looking forrdquo comments Giitter ldquoI really enjoy the connection with these higher quality students and have them come to the NRC and move upmdashand Irsquove mentored them and itrsquos fun watching their careers take offrdquo
According to Giitter UT offers one of the largest nuclear engineering programs in the country and is actively building its graduate and research program In fact since the University of Virginia and University of Maryland closed their nuclear engineering programs UT accepted their students at in-state tuition rates providing they graduated with a nuclear engineering degree UT also holds two NRC grants for faculty development and student scholarships
Joe earned his Bachelorrsquos degree in Nuclear Engineering from Iowa State University of Science and Technology and then went on to work for Westinghouse He attended UT to focus on the nascent field of PRA and earned his Masterrsquos degree in 1986 After working as a contractor to Oak Ridge National Laboratory on an NRC project to develop training materials for State emergency responders Giitter joined the NRC in 1985 When asked about the NRC award-winning culture Giitter is quick to note ldquoI donrsquot really know of too many micro-managers at the NRCmdashmanagers are really able to empower their staff and help them grow Embodying that kind of attitude gets positive reactions from staffrdquo
ABOUT THE NRC The NRC mission is to license and regulate the Nationrsquos civilian use of radioactive
materials to protect public health and safety promote the common defense and security and protect the environment Created as an independent agency by Congress in 1974 the NRC ensures the safe use of radioactive materials by regulating commercial nuclear power plants and other uses of nuclear materials through licensing inspection and enforcement of its requirements
OUTREACH amp RECRUITMENT TEAM
Kristin Davis Branch Chief KristinDavisnrcgov | 301-287-0707
Kimberly English Recruitment Program Manager KimberlyEnglishnrcgov | 301-287-0711
Peggy Etheridge Student and Disability Programs Manager PeggyEtheridgenrcgov | 301-287-0712
Kreslyon Fleming Outreach Events Coordinator KreslyonFlemingnrcgov | 301-287-0714
Nancy Hebron-Isreal Nuclear Education Grants (faculty development amp scholarshipfellowship programs) NancyHebron-Isrealnrcgov | 301-287-0718
Tanya Parwani-Jaimes Nuclear Education Grants (curriculum development programs) TanyaParwani-Jaimesnrcgov 301-287-0730
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Outreach amp Recruitment Branch
Washington DC 20555-0001 301-415-7400
CONTACT US Blog httppublic-blognrc-gatewaygov Flickr httpwwwflickrcomphotosnrcgov Twitter httpstwittercomnrcgov YouTube httpwwwyoutubecomuserNRCgov RSS httpwwwnrcgovpublic-involvelistserverhtmlrss Facebook httpswwwfacebookcomnrcgov LinkedIn Search US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
RSS Facebook LinkedInNRC Blog Flickr Twitter YouTube
4
IMPECCABLE POLICIES
ldquoWersquove had to implement several new measures particularly after Wiki-leaksrdquo notes Stapleton ldquoOur particular focus now is to make sure classified info is accurately protected much like we did after 911 when we determined it was not optimal to have detailed information on nuclear power plants available to the public on our website Now that information is only readily available with a properly vetted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requestrdquo Another essential post-911 focus is the relocation of NRC emergency operations headquarters to an undisclosed location thousands of miles outside of the Washington DC area
Stapleton also acknowledges Cybersecurity as a huge area of focus and growth with the formation of the NRC Cybersecurity Directorate Other areas of concern ldquoDrones around nuclear plantsrdquo notes Stapleton ldquoWersquore all over thatrdquo
HELLOhellipMY NAME IS JOE GIITTER
Joe Giitter wears at least two hats at the NRC As Director of the NRC Division of Risk Assessment Joe leads a team of about 60 practitioners of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) (see story on page 2) who help ensure that nuclear plants operate safely and lsquoincident-freersquo And as a highly engaged NRC University Champion since 2005 Giitter ensures that students at his graduate studies alma mater University of
Tennessee (UT) are engaged in curricula most relevant to the nuclear industryrsquos current needs and most likely to help the students achieve gainful employment and opportunities when they graduate
ldquoIrsquove made arrangements with UT Placement Services to have an interview room available when I visit the campus and I also make sure I talk with NRC managers to know what theyrsquore looking forrdquo comments Giitter ldquoI really enjoy the connection with these higher quality students and have them come to the NRC and move upmdashand Irsquove mentored them and itrsquos fun watching their careers take offrdquo
According to Giitter UT offers one of the largest nuclear engineering programs in the country and is actively building its graduate and research program In fact since the University of Virginia and University of Maryland closed their nuclear engineering programs UT accepted their students at in-state tuition rates providing they graduated with a nuclear engineering degree UT also holds two NRC grants for faculty development and student scholarships
Joe earned his Bachelorrsquos degree in Nuclear Engineering from Iowa State University of Science and Technology and then went on to work for Westinghouse He attended UT to focus on the nascent field of PRA and earned his Masterrsquos degree in 1986 After working as a contractor to Oak Ridge National Laboratory on an NRC project to develop training materials for State emergency responders Giitter joined the NRC in 1985 When asked about the NRC award-winning culture Giitter is quick to note ldquoI donrsquot really know of too many micro-managers at the NRCmdashmanagers are really able to empower their staff and help them grow Embodying that kind of attitude gets positive reactions from staffrdquo
ABOUT THE NRC The NRC mission is to license and regulate the Nationrsquos civilian use of radioactive
materials to protect public health and safety promote the common defense and security and protect the environment Created as an independent agency by Congress in 1974 the NRC ensures the safe use of radioactive materials by regulating commercial nuclear power plants and other uses of nuclear materials through licensing inspection and enforcement of its requirements
OUTREACH amp RECRUITMENT TEAM
Kristin Davis Branch Chief KristinDavisnrcgov | 301-287-0707
Kimberly English Recruitment Program Manager KimberlyEnglishnrcgov | 301-287-0711
Peggy Etheridge Student and Disability Programs Manager PeggyEtheridgenrcgov | 301-287-0712
Kreslyon Fleming Outreach Events Coordinator KreslyonFlemingnrcgov | 301-287-0714
Nancy Hebron-Isreal Nuclear Education Grants (faculty development amp scholarshipfellowship programs) NancyHebron-Isrealnrcgov | 301-287-0718
Tanya Parwani-Jaimes Nuclear Education Grants (curriculum development programs) TanyaParwani-Jaimesnrcgov 301-287-0730
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Outreach amp Recruitment Branch
Washington DC 20555-0001 301-415-7400
CONTACT US Blog httppublic-blognrc-gatewaygov Flickr httpwwwflickrcomphotosnrcgov Twitter httpstwittercomnrcgov YouTube httpwwwyoutubecomuserNRCgov RSS httpwwwnrcgovpublic-involvelistserverhtmlrss Facebook httpswwwfacebookcomnrcgov LinkedIn Search US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
RSS Facebook LinkedInNRC Blog Flickr Twitter YouTube
4