5 researchers (bios below) from Idaho National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory discuss the Pu-238 production cycle supporting NASA mission requirements as well as other work in neutronics, thermal hydraulics, and program direction related to isotope production and other experiments. This will include a generous allotment of time for questions.

Contact Emory Colvin (colvinem@oregonstate.edu) with any questions.

Carla C. Dwight (Isotope Production Programs Manager, Space Nuclear Power & Isotope Technologies Division, Materials and Fuels Complex, INL) currently manages INL’s Isotope Production Programs, which include production of Co-60 for medical devices, and Pu-238 used in Radioisotope Power Systems for NASA missions. 

Carla began her career as a nuclear engineer in 1986 with DOE-Idaho where she worked on transportation casks for spent fuel. She joined INL (formerly Argonne-West) in 1988 to work on the integral fast reactor project, performing safety and environmental analyses. From 1990 through 2001, she managed Argonne-West’s efforts in characterizing transuranic waste, enabling INL’s first shipments to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, NM. From 2002 to present, she has served in a number of roles, including quality manager for INL’s nuclear research directorates and deputy director for her current division. A native of New Mexico, Carla attended Arizona State University studying Nuclear Engineering/Health Physics, and playing volleyball on a full-ride scholarship. In 1984 she moved to Idaho as a newlywed and continued her education at Idaho State University.

Dr. Jorge Navarro is currently an R&D Staff Engineer at the experiments analysis and coordination group in the Research Reactor Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering. Prior research staff positions include Research Scientist at the Center for Space Nuclear Research and Research Engineer at Idaho National Laboratory. Since 2012, he has been involved in several projects dedicated to the design, analysis, and optimization of isotope production. His expertise also includes gamma fuel spectroscopy and data analytics. He is the Vice-Chair of the ANS Aerospace Nuclear Science and Technology Division as well as the program chair for the Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space conference.

Emily Swain is a neutronic analyst supporting Advanced Test Reactor experiments. She has been actively involved with neutronic model development of the Advanced Test Reactor and its experiments. She has developed, adapted, and documented PDQ and HELIOS models and methodologies in support of experiment insertion, safety analysis, and a methods upgrade initiative. She has provided on-site reactor engineering support, safety analyses, predictions, and surveillances. She has also performed PWR and BWR safety analyses during internships with Westinghouse Electric Company and Exelon Nuclear Corporation. Ms. Swain earned her master's and bachelor's degrees in nuclear engineering from Purdue University. Her master’s thesis applied the artificial neural network computational model to an electric power grid simulation. She has been involved in many activities including the North American Young Generation in Nuclear – Idaho Section as the website designer and she received the Indiana Academic All-Star award in 1999. Outside of work she enjoys board, card, and computer games, Purdue Women’s Basketball, and good conversation with good friends.

Brian Gross is a neutronics analyst in the Experiment Design and Analysis Department at Idaho National Laboratory. In this capacity, he performs neutronic and physics analysis of irradiation testing of experiments for the Fuel Cycle Research and Development program and the ATR National Scientific User Facility. Mr. Gross holds an M.E. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Idaho and a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gross started his career as a radar technician in the US Army stationed in Germany for 3 years. While pursuing his B.S degree, he worked as a lab assistant for the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment. He is a former intern and next degree student of the Center for Space Nuclear Research. He is a member of the American Nuclear Society, a volunteer for the Habitat for Humanity and speaks elementary German. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, hiking and snowmobiling.

Dr. Doug Crawford has roughly ten years of experience, in various capacities spanning over nuclear & chemical engineering, including thermal/hydraulic safety analysis for experiments in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). Most of his work is in design, modeling, simulation and analysis of: experiments, chemical processes (manufacture of high purity polysilicon & oil separation from brine water), nuclear reactors (both test reactors & space reactors) as well as nuclear systems. He also enjoys an adjunct professor position with the University of Utah which allows him to collaborate on nano to micron thin film coating projects. The coating projects all have been done with a fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition (FB-CVD) reactor in operation at the University of Utah. He also has the experience of being a senior reactor operator (SRO) of the TRIGA reactor at the University of Utah. Doug’s most recent research work is modeling and simulation of corrosion, oxide growth and other nuclear/chemical reactions on the surfaces of various materials. He is also interested in separate effects testing, science of surface characterization to learn more about nuclear/chemical reactions which would improve the modeling and simulation work.