Pellissippi State, ORNL partner for new student career path opportunity
The Chemical Radiation Technology pathway will give students a new option that will prepare them to enter the workforce in places such as ORNL and the Y-12 National Security Complex – without first completing a bachelor’s degree.
A series of new classes at Pellissippi State Community College will offer students a new career path — and a national laboratory a pipeline of workers who have the skills needed for its own rapidly growing programs.
Starting in fall 2023, Pellissippi State will partner with the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to offer a Chemical Radiation Technology pathway under its Associate of Applied Science in General Technology degree. Three new classes – Radiochemistry, Analytical Chemistry, and Hazardous Waste Control – will be added to existing Pellissippi State curricula, and two of the classes will be taught by experienced ORNL scientists on the college’s Hardin Valley Campus.
One of those scientists is Clarice Phelps, a Researcher in the Medical, Industrial, & Research Isotopes Group, who plans to teach the radiochemistry course at Pellissippi.
“It’s something new and it’s exciting and it’s definitely a viable career path,” she said. “And if they’re thinking about their future, this is something that you could build a whole career off of and something that you can build upon.”
The Chemical Radiation Technology pathway will give students a new option that will prepare them to enter the workforce in places such as ORNL and the Y-12 National Security Complex – without first completing a bachelor’s degree.
“This pathway creates an opportunity for students who are interested in science and engineering to find a lifelong, high-wage career while working alongside the nation’s top scientists, conducting cutting-edge research, and enabling our community and nation to continue to innovate,” said Kane Barker, Dean of Natural and Behavioral Sciences for Pellissippi State.
It also connects Pellissippi State students with employment opportunities, summer internships, and facility tours at ORNL.
“Our growing workforce requires skilled and talented people,” said Balendra Sutharshan, Associate Laboratory Director for ORNL’s Isotope Science and Engineering Directorate (ISED). “We need students with a basic skill set who can apply to join us as radiochemical or nuclear operations technicians.”
Students who complete the two-year academic pathway and an internship program become strong candidates to apply to ORNL’s radiochemical and nuclear operations technician jobs across the lab — and ORNL expects it will need to fill a growing number of these jobs as it increases isotope production.
Phelps, who has headed the development of the program at ORNL, is excited that it offers students the opportunity to work at ORNL without completing a bachelor’s degree, although those who wish to pursue more advanced degrees will be encouraged to do so.
“I used to be a technician,” she said. “I started out as one year at ORN. they’re crucial to doing the science out here. We have a lot of smart people and we have a lot of really great researchers and scientists, but we also need the support of our technicians to help us do that great science. Training up the next generation of scientists is something that I think the lab and Pellissippi find mutually beneficial.”
Fall registration is open now. For more information on the Chemical Radiation Technology pathway, contact Dean Kane Barker at kmbarker1@pstcc.edu or 865.694.6695.
