NUCLEAR POWERNuclear Energy as a Hidden Gem
Advanced nuclear reactors will be a key component of a carbon-neutral economy. Andrew Breshears, a principal nuclear chemist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, offers a back-to-basics look at nuclear energy, and the importance of science communication in the nuclear field.
Advanced nuclear reactors will be a key component of a carbon-neutral economy. In this recent conversation hosted on Argonne’s Instagram channel, Andrew Breshears discusses his career path, talks about the importance — and challenge — of communicating to the public about nuclear power, and explains the basics about nuclear energy and nuclear power.
Breshears is a principal nuclear chemist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory.
You can watch our video interview with Breshears on Argonne’s Instagram or YouTube.
Argonne: What is your background and how did you come to work at Argonne?
Andrew Breshears: When I was in grade school, a family friend, who worked at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, got me interested in science. He used to work on nuclear submarines and he would bring math problems whenever he came to visit our family.
Then in high school, I realized I have a penchant for chemistry. I decided to study chemistry in college, because it’s a STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — degree and I had been told I could do anything with that. In college, I got a bachelor’s of science in chemistry. After that, I wanted to earn a Ph.D. and went on to the University of Missouri, where [I took a summer internship] at Argonne.
After one summer, I was made a lab graduate fellow and I’ve been here ever since.
Argonne: Do you mind sharing a few words on the importance of communication between the nuclear industry and the public?
Breshears: Sure — I care very much about this. I often visit schools — kindergarten through 12th grade and even universities — and talk about what I do and what Argonne does.
I’d like to tell a story. I use public transportation quite a bit. One day I’m reading a review paper by a researcher named Michel Ephritikhine who does a lot of uranium activation. For anyone who just glances at it, that paper probably looks like a jumble of letters and lines. And it’s really hard and complicated to really wrap your mind around it.
I turned to look over my shoulder and a little girl is peeking over the seat behind me and she’s looking at the paper. I asked her “This probably looks really complicated, but is there anything here that you understand?” And sure enough, she pointed to CO2 and said, “Oh, that’s carbon dioxide. I learned about that at school.”
