For my co-op experience I worked alongside engineers of all experience levels at an engineering consulting firm, MPR Associates.  I worked on a variety of projects for clients within the nuclear power industry.

Over my time working at this firm, my personal beliefs regarding green energy have drastically changed.  Prior to my experience, the idea of promoting and working toward a sustainable energy system was something I knew would be happening in the future, but it was not something I cared deeply about.  Once I began working within the nuclear industry, I realized how important and how impactful green energy is to the world.  Our current use of fossil fuels is deeply concerning and will have significant consequences on the world around us.  It is important for people to invest and work towards a greener world.  Whether that is promoting new growth within exiting fields like nuclear energy, what I have experienced at MPR, or other fields like wind and solar, I know see the importance of these industries to the future of our world.

Working at a company like MPR that works within a green engineering field, the employees tend to be greatly passionate and care about green energy.  Developing relationships with these engineers has driven my transformation from someone who was aware of the climate issues to someone who is deeply passionate about it.  My coworkers often had discussions about climate and green energy related issues that resulted in me learning a lot more about the topic then I previously knew.  With a wider foundation of information, I was able to develop my own thoughts on the issue and came to realize just how important it truly is.

These feelings were made more concrete through the organization as a whole.  From the lowest level of engineer to the highest executives, everyone understands the company’s role in green energy as a contributor to nuclear energy.  They recognize the type of value we can bring to this necessary field and continually strive to bolster that business segment and work on the cutting edge within the industry to provide the most measurable impact possible.  These goals are consistently shared with the company to ensure that all parties are aligned.

My thoughts on green energy also changed by realizing the impact that nuclear can have in this field.  I never previously thought of nuclear energy in the same realm as wind or solar power.  But I feel like that is a common idea in society as a whole.  Whether it is the way nuclear is portrayed in popular culture or emphasis on single events and not the impact as a whole, I can’t say exactly, but I never consider it to be green nor safe.  What I do know now after working for MPR, is that there is no step forward into green energy that can occur without nuclear power.  The issues faced with renewable energy such as reliability and the inability to alter supply based on demand due to physical constraints of the wind or light available, are not issues faced in nuclear.  It is a reliable and safe power option that can continuously produce power.  The plants emit no fossil fuels, and the only waste are spent nuclear materials that get safely stored underground with minimal impact on the ecosystem nearby.  More people understanding this will bolster investment into the nuclear industry, and therefore provide a much needed aspect towards a greener world.  All of this was provided to me through the actual work I was doing.  On most projects I got to see the amount of time, money, and effort that is expended to ensure that nuclear power is safe; the sometimes seemingly excessive safety limits and requirements; and, the amount of power produced and reliability of that power.  All of these helped provide a clear image of what nuclear could be and why it is important.

This change in my view on green energy has made me for the first time during my college experience, realize what career path I want to take moving forward.  I can confidently say that green energy is the field that I will dedicate my life’s work to.  It is such an important and essential industry for the sustainability and growth of both society and our world as a whole.  Doing anything else outside of this now seems like it would be falling short of using my experiences the most impactful way they could.  MPR provided the steppingstone for me to see going forward exactly what I want to do.  Now that I have experience within the green energy industry, this will also be easier for me to achieve.  The experience I had was truly transformational for the type of engineer I aspire to become.