News 2022
11/10/2022 - Materials for extreme environments article is out
Are you interested in learning more about exciting advances, opportunities and bottlenecks we are facing when it comes to materials used in different environmental extremes? Check out this Nature viewpoint article Dr. A wrote in collaboration with experts in materials science.
11/2/2022 - Check OUt our latest article on Irradiated U-Pu-Zr fuels
Congratulations to Thad, whose manuscript "TEM-based phase characterization of U–19Pu–10Zr irradiated in ATR" has been published as impact article in MRS Bulletin. In this work, we investigate constituent redistribution in U-Pu-Zr fuels, identify phases formed as a result of irradiation, and provide a revision to the constituent redistribution model.
10/19/2022 - Congratulations to Aaron Rabin
for successfully passing his oral proposal defense on 2D materials. He has officially advanced into doctoral candidacy!
10/7/2022 - Check out our latest article on MOX fuels
Congratulations to Casey, whose manuscript "Three-dimensional microstructural characterization of FBR MOX fuel and the contribution of microstructural features to the thermal conductivity of the fuel" has been published in Journal of Nuclear Materials. In this work, the first 3D characterization of multiple phases in the microstructure and thermal conductivity measurements were conducted on irradiated MOX fuels.
9/8/2022 - Congratulations to Dr. A
who has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure and received Mary Jane Oestmann Professional Women's Achievement Award from American Nuclear Society!
8/16/2022 - New group member alert!
Manatee group is expanding and we are excited to welcome several new students: Sarah Lantzy (MSE), Allison Roberts (NE), Brandon Bohanon (NE), and Mitch Mika (NE). Join us in welcoming them and stay tuned for their accomplishments!
8/5/2022 - Kory graduates and accepts a position at University of Virginia
Huge shoutout to Dr. Kory Burns, who graduated this summer and joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering as a rising scholar research scientist! He is on track to becoming an assistant professor in 2 years and we are looking forward to Kory's future accomplishments and wish him the best of luck at UVA!
6/20/2022 - Exciting new collaborations!
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today awarded more than $61 million for 74 nuclear energy projects across the country. Of those, MANATEE group will be involved in 2: "Role of Heterogeneity in Manganese and Nickel Rich Precipitate Distribution on Hardening of Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels: Integrated Modeling and Experimental Characterization" led by Dr. Spearot from MAE and "Science-Based Development of ASTM standard tests for graphite-based fuel pebbles" led by Dr. Hosemann from UC-Berkeley. We are looking forward to collaborating with these two groups!
6/14/2022 - NSUF awards rapid turnaround experiment research proposals
Congratulations to Casey for receiving Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) rapid turnaround experiment (RTE) funding! RTEs offer researchers the opportunity to perform quick analysis of a small number of samples. Casey's proposal "An Assessment of Radial Compositional Variations of the Grey Phase in FBR MOX Fuel Using EPMA" has been selected from a large pool of proposals submitted by national laboratories and US universities. Well done! Full list of awarded projects can be accessed here.
5/19/2022 - Congratulations to Dr. Kory Burns
for successfully defending his PhD thesis! Well done, Kory!
4/28/2022 - Casey graduates and accepts a position at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Huge shoutout to Dr. Casey McKinney! We are looking forward to your future accomplishments and wish you best of luck at ORNL!
4/27/2022 - Struggling with 3D reconstruction process? Check out Casey's latest paper
Congratulations to Casey, whose manuscript "A practical guide to characterizing irradiated nuclear fuels using FIB tomography" has been published in Micron. This manuscript guides you through FIB tomography, reconstruction process, issues related to analysis of nuclear fuels, and provides the script for reconstruction you can use on your own data.
4/4/2022 - Congratulations to Kaylee Cunnigham,
who has received National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF)! The NSF GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions. Kaylee is the second student who has received NSF GRF in our group and we are looking forward to what she achieves when she pursues her PhD degree at MIT.
3/15/2022 - Congratulations to Dr. Casey McKinney
for successfully defending her PhD thesis! Well done, Casey!
2/19/2022 - Check out our latest paper on U-Mo
Congratulations to Charlyne, whose manuscript "High burnup structure formation in U-Mo fuels" has been published in Journal of Nuclear Materials. This manuscript sheds light on formation of high burnup structure in U-Mo fuels and represents significant progress in nuclear fuels research. We look forward to seeing Charlyne's future work.
1/5/2022 - Dr. A receives TMS and University of Florida awards
Congratulations to Dr. A who has recently received 2022 TMS Young Leaders Professional Development Award from The Minerals, Metals, and Materials (TMS) society and Pramod P. Khargonekar Award from University of Florida.