Using a Capstone Project to Pave His Way to CNL
Currently an Operations Specialist at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Alex Gonzalez graduated from UBC Materials Engineering in 2021. During his studies, he served as the Academic Coordinator for the MTRL Undergrad Council and APSC Student Senator. Also, while at UBC, he completed co-op terms with EVRAZ pipeline steel, UBC Geering Up, and UBC Civil Engineering.
1. What is your current role and what was the journey that led you to it?
I am an Operations Specialist in the Licensed Nuclear Facilities group at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL). I help keep the facilities running safely! This includes supporting a facility that handles highly radioactive material and size reduces it for analysis. Some of the analysis is performed elsewhere on site, but we also have a fully functioning metallographic line (polishers, microscopes, hardness tester, etc), fatigue testers, and MTS machines – all confined inside of hot cells. I’m also a Nuclear Criticality Control Officer, which means I play a role in ensuring facility operations are criticality safe.
“I ended up in this job after completing a capstone project that was sponsored by CNL. Because I had references in the company and a strong background in materials & sample preparation, I was a unique addition to the operations team.”
2. What does a typical day look like for you? Does a typical day exist?
After parking and grabbing my dosimeter, I head through security. When I arrive at my desk, I change into work boots, don my lab coat, and grab dosimeter #2.
“Most days all start the same way, but what I do each day is almost never the same”
The work day can be split into one of my 3 main job duties:
- Troubleshooting equipment in need of repair
- Improving current processes and procedures
- Implementing new processes & procedures and commissioning new equipment
Here are some examples!
#1: Mid-morning, a technician alerts us that the door to a hot cell requires repair. The door provides crucial shielding between high radiation dose inside the hot cell and an operating area. It will be my top priority to understand what led to the needed repair and how to return to operations safely.
#2: The current procedure for replacing a HEPA filter inside a hot cell is missing some important steps, which we noticed when we changed the filter recently. I will submit a new work plan with Engineering Change Control, and I’ll write a new procedure for the next HEPA change.
#3: The old DSC (MTRL 394 callback!) is dead, but luckily, we bought a new one. Unfortunately, electronics and radiation don’t mix! I’ve procured a modified DSC, but now I need to plan and document how to install this sensitive equipment in the hot cell, where poor judgement in this case could risk CNL not meeting contractual requirements for DSC outputs.
3. How does your career now compare to how you originally envisioned your career in undergrad?
When I was a student, I wasn’t aware of the field of operations or that it was a field that needed workers with an engineering background, but I wish I had. “I didn’t even think of nuclear as an option until ~1 year before I graduated!” Not only is working in operations fun, but at large companies like CNL, it can be a stepping stone to roles that usually only hire people with Master’s degrees or PhDs. I find great enjoyment in my day-to-day tasks, as it allows me to delve into both design and problem-solving.
4. How did your materials engineering degree lead you to get the job you have?
A set of interesting coincidences led me to my role. In February 2020, I accepted a co-op term with a department at CNL that studies the effects of radiation on materials. However, due to the pandemic, the CNL co-op program was put on hiatus. I was still very interested in the role, so my would-be manager agreed to partner with MTRL to sponsor my capstone project!
During my final year, I applied to work at CNL full time. The hiring manager saw my metallography experience from EVRAZ, and wanted to hire me based on my familiarity with sample preparation and microscope/hardness tester use. I was able to provide CNL references from my capstone project, which made the hiring process smoother.
5. How do you think your MTRL degree sets you apart from graduates of other programs?
In nuclear facility operations, most people have backgrounds in electrical or chemical engineering, which is useful for standard process-mechanical breakdowns. However, the facility I support is unique from the other CNL nuclear facilities because breakdowns, process improvement, and equipment upgrades occur with polishers, hardness testers, microscopes, and other lab equipment inside of the hot cells.
“I was the first person with a materials engineering background to be hired in my group, and now my manager is always on the lookout for more people with this degree.”
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