- Major: Nuclear Engineering
- Company: Southern Nuclear Company, Strata-G, LLC.
- Graduation Year: 2025
- E-mail: lalvisan@vols.utk.edu
Profile
I have completed three co-op rotations with Southern Nuclear Company (SNC) across three groups as a technical engineering co-op. SNC is a nuclear energy facility who operates a total of six units for Alabama Power and Georgia Power. My first and second rotations had me working in Dothan, AL at Farley Nuclear Plant where I was placed with mechanical systems engineering and reactor engineering, respectively. Being located on plant site with these two groups provided me excellent hands-on experience and working knowledge of a nuclear plant, as well as the opportunity to be a part of two refueling outages. I came out of these two rotations at Farley with multiple reactor engineering qualifications and having contributed to a variety of field and technical work. My third rotation had me relocated to the Corporate Energy Center in Birmingham, AL where I was placed with the Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) Fuels group within the Nuclear Fuels Department. In BWR Fuels I mainly performed technical work related to nuclear core design and reload licensing. In addition, I have completed a one rotation internship in Oak Ridge, TN with Strata-G, LLC which is an engineering consulting firm providing technical, business, and management support with roots in waste management and nuclear operations. My internship consisted of supporting the Radioisotope Processing Facility Project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) by cataloging production information on radioisotopes.
I strongly encourage everyone to consider co-ops and internships as they have taught me a plethora of hard and soft skills, as well as providing me invaluable opportunities that I would not have had otherwise. Between end of rotation presentations, daily group work, and general networking, I have learned how to effectively communicate and be a team member. I am much more confident in my career path, speaking abilities, and simply myself from my co-op/internship experience. Now, I can continue the remainder of my college career knowing I have set myself up for success.
In my free time, I enjoy reading, traveling, and perusing antique stores or thrifting. On campus, I am a member of Alpha Omega Epsilon which is a social & professional STEM sorority, as well as Women in Nuclear. You can always find me studying around Zeanah during the week.
One piece of advice: Please do not let your major make you disregard the nuclear energy industry. In fact, more mechanical and electrical engineers are typically hired than nuclear engineers because of the expanse of work that comes with the field. I will gladly speak with any engineering major if they are interested in nuclear!
