A former Sandia National Laboratories senior scientist and nuclear safety expert has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), Sandia announced on Tuesday.
Dana Powers, who studied the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl nuclear power accidents during his 40-year career with Sandia, was elected to the NAE for his “contributions to commercial nuclear power plant safety worldwide and to radioactive source-term processes,” the NAE said.
He is one of 79 new members who will receive their diplomas at an induction ceremony at the NAE Annual Meeting in October. Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions for an engineer.
Sandia’s Director of Nuclear Energy & Fuel Cycle Programs Peter Davies said Powers’ knowledge of nuclear safety has been invaluable in training newer Sandia employees.
“Another dimension of Dana’s enormous contribution to the world of reactor safety and to Sandia has been the time and energy he has invested in mentoring the next generation of Sandia researchers,” Davies said. “He has coached, critiqued, challenged and encouraged both staff and managers, stimulating them to move to greater levels of technical understanding and personal impact.”
Powers joined Sandia in 1974 after receiving a bachelor’s in chemistry and a doctorate in chemistry, chemical engineering and economics from the California Institute of Technology.
