Group honors NRC senior fire-protection engineer

The National Society of Professional Engineers named Gabriel Taylor, a senior fire protection engineer at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), as one of the top 19 professional engineers in the federal government at a recent National Press Club ceremony.

Taylor works in the fire research branch in the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. He was recognized for his exceptional contributions to the advancement of NRC safety protocols at its nuclear power plants nationwide.

Taylor, who holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in fire protection engineering from the University of Maryland, was nominated by his branch chief, Mark Henry Salley, and Patrick Madden, deputy director of the Division of Risk Analysis.

In their nomination, Salley and Madden praised Taylor’s leadership and work on the effects of fire-induced failures on safety-related electrical systems, which included organizing and leading experiments and expert panels, and effectively communicating outcomes. Taylor also was commended for leading an engineering team in investigating the performance of early-warning fire detection systems under various conditions and analyzing their potential for increasing fire safety.

Federal agencies employing at least 50 engineers may nominate candidates for the Federal Engineer of the Year Award.