Résumé building at a nuclear power plant
UNB engineering student Jennifer Ryan is getting a first-hand look at the reconditioning of Atlantic Canada's only nuclear power plant.
Ryan, a third-year chemical engineering student at the University of New Brunswick, is working at NB Power's Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station under a 16-month professional experience program.
Ryan, originally from Portugal Cove, Newfoundland, has been working at Point Lepreau since May 2008. She’ll finish her term at the Crown corporation in August 2009.
Her experiences at the plant have been invaluable, she says.
“The longer I’m here, the more I learn,” says the 22-year-old.
The benefits of working at Point Lepreau Generating Station are enormous, she adds.
“You actually get to see what you’ve learned in the classroom applied in the workplace.”
A part of the NB Power team
Ryan has a number of responsibilities at Point Lepreau within the Chemistry Department, including chemistry trend reporting and regulatory Canadian Nuclear and Safety Commission and World Association of Nuclear Operations performance indicator reports that were applicable before the plant had commenced the refurbishment project.
She currently has sole responsibility for relative humidity sampling and evaluation. These tasks are important at the incredibly complex plant.
“I go around and open the valves, check the relative humidity and then record the results and send them on to the people who need to know,” she says.
“I’m also looking over flow sheets to determine what lines are dry. That’s important because we need to keep them dry to prevent corrosion.”
Ryan isn’t just receiving invaluable work experience - she’s also getting paid.
A front row seat
It’s exciting and fascinating to get an inside look at one of the most complex engineering projects ever undertaken in New Brunswick, says Ryan of the refurbishment effort.
“I get to see the story unfold and see the details. It’s really neat,” she says. “I never thought in a million years I’d be working at a nuclear power plant. It’s pretty wild for me.”
Working at the plant for 16-months will help Ryan prepare to launch her career after she’s done at UNB.
“It should look pretty impressive on a résumé.”
Working together to benefit students and the province
The ties between UNB and NB Power go further than just professional work experience programs for students.
UNB is also home to the Centre for Nuclear Energy Research (CNER), a non-profit company owned by UNB and the New Brunswick Research and Productivity Council. About 20 faculty, staff and students work in the chemistry and electrical teams at CNER.
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, the federal government corporation responsible for designing and building CANDU reactors around the world, is also involved with CNER.
“Working with and supporting New Brunswick schools, our students and our community at large, is fundamental to our role as a New Brunswick employer and perhaps even more so as a Top 100 Employer in Canada,” says Paul Theriault, Vice President, Human Resources for NB Power.
“We value the relationship we have with UNB and the graduates that we hire are first rate.”
Choosing UNB
Ryan first began her university studies in Newfoundland, but decided to come to UNB because of its chemical engineering program.
She selected UNB based on a recommendation from her uncle and because it was an affordable option for her.
“I wanted to stay close to home.”
