RAWLINS — How many scientists does it take to explain nuclear materials?
In this instance, it took two: University of Wyoming students Bryant Jerome and Dilpuneet Aidhy on Dec. 2 while attending the Materials Research Society fall conference in Boston.
For Jerome, a Rawlins High alumni and senior at the university, it was a little intimidating.
“There are a lot of smart people that are in attendance,” he said. “These people are working on some amazing things. But I feel like I managed to grab people’s attention and point out underlying assumptions in my work.”
The MRS is an organization founded in 1973 and based in Pennsylvania. With its 14,000 members, the group works to advance materials, improve people’s quality of life and use the diversity of its members backgrounds to expand on this.
So it makes sense that Jerome was at least a little nervous to give a presentation in front of these scientists, educators and many different audience members.
His and Aidhy’s topic is complicated, to say the least. In essence, the two discussed uranium mononitriade, a proposed nuclear fuel for upcoming nuclear reactors. To be a senior in college giving a presentation to an audience of this stature was something that is not only defining for Jerome’s college career, but his postgraduate one as well.
The two students have been working on this project for a little more than a year, using computational methods for their research. They submitted a manuscript of their research in November, but Jerome expects it to be returned in the next month or so, providing them an opportunity to continue finessing the contents.
“That’s how science goes. It’s a bit discretionary,” he said. “A lot of my work dealt with metastable effects (a stable state of energy). I’ve always had a lure for the natural world, so majoring in physics made sense to me.”
But for Jerome, the work is never truly completed. Following graduation, he hopes to continue his education by attending graduate school, doing more research and work in the physics field.
“I really love the challenge that this science provides me,” he said. “It’s kind of like a puzzle, where you’re working out problems in the subset. It’s this troubleshooting that gives a proper answer. It’s fascinating.”
Ellen Fike is a freelance writer living in Cheyenne. She can be reached at elfylucille@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at @EllenLFike.
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