The Potential of Nuclear Engineering: a Conversation with Emily Dawe
The cool thing about Nuclear is that engineers from all different disciplines get involved, so everyday I get to work with a team with a huge variety of backgrounds — that’s my favourite thing about the industry.
Nuclear engineering has the potential to advance clean energy solutions, which support energy demands while building a greener future.
Emily Dawe is a recent University of Toronto (UofT) graduate with a Bachelors of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering. She is currently a Nuclear Engineer in Training at Hatch and has also worked as a Nuclear Performance Engineering Intern at Ontario Power Generation (OPG).
Can you tell us about your background and what initially inspired you to pursue a career in Nuclear Engineering?
In terms of what inspired me to pursue a career in nuclear [engineering], I just have always thought it was really interesting. I grew up in Newfoundland, and there most of the power comes from fossil fuels or hydroelectricity. That’s what I was exposed to growing up. When I moved to Ontario for university, I learned about the local nuclear plants so I thought it was really interesting and something that I wanted to get into. And I think it’s quite applicable to my background in chemical and process engineering.
While a student at UofT, Emily took advantage of the opportunities to explore the field of nuclear engineering through pursuing a minor in Sustainable Energy, taking Nuclear Engineering courses, and completing her Professional Experience Year (PEY) Co-op term at OPG, a corporation focused on energy generation for the province of Ontario.
Can you describe some of the most opportunities you have had in the field of nuclear engineering?
I did my PEY [Professional Experience Year] at OPG [Ontario Power Generation], Darlington Nuclear and I am currently working at Hatch in the Nuclear Business Unit as a Nuclear Engineer in Training. So I’ve done some really exciting work in both of those positions.
One of Emily’s most valuable experiences during her internship at OPG was the opportunity to do “walkdowns” or inspections at the Darlington Nuclear stations. These visual inspections gave Emily hands-on experience to examine the safety and reliability of the equipment in the plant. OPG was in the process of refurbishing Darlington Nuclear station during Emily’s time there, which led to her having a once-in-a-lifetime experience at the plant.
So when I was at OPG, they were refurbishing Unit 3 at Darlington, so they took the unit offline and you could see areas that you wouldn’t normally be able to access when the unit was online. So, that was exciting.
Refurbishment is the process of extending the life of a nuclear plant by replacing major equipment. The Darlington Nuclear station started its service in 1990 and is currently being refurbished to extend its end-of-life by 30 years. Refurbishment is a cost-effective pathway as it ensures nuclear stations can continue to be used instead of being decommissioned.
In her current role as a Nuclear Engineer in Training at Hatch, Emily is working on a variety of projects, including nuclear waste, small modular reactors (SMR), and the business case for SMRs.
Just in a couple years of work experience, I’ve been fortunate to have hands-on walk-down experience as well as conceptual engineering and business case experience.
Are there any areas within Nuclear that you would like to explore more in the future?
What I think is really exciting and is really in the news a lot these days, is small modular reactors. So I would definitely like to do more work with SMRs as they are getting in their later design stages and starting to be built. […] It’s a really cool time to get into the industry because I like to say that I am growing up in my career at the same time as SMRs are. I want to make SMRs a big priority of my work.
What do you think the future of nuclear engineering looks like?
Something that is exciting is the concept of fusion energy. […] The running joke in the industry is that fusion energy is always 20 years away. But I think that really exciting progress is being made in the fusion space.
Fusion energy is the concept of combining two lighter atomic nuclei to form a heavier nucleus. This process releases massive amounts of energy which can be used as a low carbon energy source as there are no greenhouse gas emissions.
Other than that, commercializing SMRs [small modular reactors] for accessibility and combining them with something like hydrogen production is being worked on. Essentially, the combination of nuclear power into other industries via SMRs is definitely the future. It’s a really compelling way to achieve Canada’s goal of net zero.
Have you found any unique business problems in the nuclear engineering space?
Nuclear is definitely very unique in a lot of ways. It has a very high capital cost, to build it is quite expensive — but it is a worthwhile investment, as the operating cost is lower than other methods of energy generation. That’s one of the issues that we run into. And it’s also just convincing businesses and entities to take the leap to involve nuclear because it can be very daunting. I personally think that it is a very worthwhile leap.
What precautions need to be taken when dealing with nuclear energy? What drawbacks exist?
The concept of nuclear waste is a pressing concern among the public. It’s not the most comforting thing to think about radioactive materials in the environment. But waste management is a regimented process — the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is based out of Toronto, and they are developing a safe plan for Canadian waste storage. […] I have gotten to experience some of the safety engineering precautions that are taken when designing any type of nuclear project — safety is always the top priority. So that’s comforting to me as an engineer but also as a citizen in a country that uses nuclear energy. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) is the federal regulator and awards licenses for different phases of nuclear builds. So, the industry is very regulated to protect the safety of the public.
What are some of the most rewarding aspects of your career in nuclear engineering?
Being able to work with so many people, not just engineers, but also community groups and businesses — I think that’s the most rewarding thing. Seeing everyone get together for a common goal.
The opportunity to contribute to the clean energy space is an aspect of nuclear engineering that Emily finds most rewarding. She mentions the social implications of nuclear as well, with the opportunity to work with Indigenous groups to develop nuclear projects on their land. Additionally, the collaborative nature of nuclear engineering is one of Emily’s favourite facets of her work.
Emily also mentioned the Canadian Nuclear Association Conference (CNAC), which recently took place in Ottawa, as a fantastic way to network and learn more about the field.
A couple days ago, I got back from the Canadian Nuclear Association Conference in Ottawa. They have a student program every year: students can apply to attend the conference through the Canadian Nuclear Association website. The conference is usually in the spring so the applications to attend are open in the fall or winter, something to keep an eye on. […] The reason why I bring up the conference is because everyone is really passionate about the [nuclear] technology. Just getting to meet so many people from different places and walks of life, that are all very passionate about one thing and are from different disciplines of engineering, was a great experience.
What advice would you give to folks who are just starting to consider a career in the nuclear space?
When I was at the conference [CNAC] this past week, I spoke to a lot of students and it was a full-circle moment for me because I was a student at this conference just a couple years ago. It is really exciting to be at the other side of the table. I would say you need to be really passionate when going into a field as specific as nuclear energy. If you are interested in energy, clean and renewable energy work like wind, solar, or hydro, I would say don’t pigeonhole yourself into one field unless you are very sure that is what you want to do.
Emily’s journey in nuclear engineering is proof that an earnest interest and passion for one’s field, development of skills through hands-on experiences, and taking the time to reach for professional growth opportunities can set you up for success in STEM.
There’s a lot of exciting work in the energy industry right now and I think it’s really important to keep your options open so find out what you are passionate about. The best engineers are those that are really passionate about their subject matter.
