In March, Peach Bottom's Women In Nuclear (PB-WIN) sponsored a drive to collect items for young girls in the foster care system. HopeSacks are pink bags filled with toiletry items every young girl needs.
The girls, ages 8 through 18, are from families sent to shelters to escape abusive situations or domestic disturbances. They are in difficult family circumstances and are often relocated from their homes without basic necessities.
The HopeSacks project was started by Lauren England when she was a student at the Academy of Notre Dame. She learned about the girls through her aunt, a lawyer who works with foster children.
Thanks to the generous donations of station employees and the hard work of the PB-WIN volunteers, 73 HopeSacks were completed. More than $850 was donated to York Access as well. Combined, the items and monetary donation valued approximately $3,000! The HopeSacks and the monetary donation were delivered to York Access in York, Pennsylvania on April 21.
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Have you been looking for that perfect shirt to proclaim your membership in WIN? Well look no further—WIN Wear is now available. The U.S. WIN Store is the system resource for gifts and clothing displaying the “U.S. Women in Nuclear” brand. Take a look at our professional wear, our line of outerwear, as well as our sporty and maternity items. Order one item for yourself or order a customized shirt for everyone in your organization. Anything is possible!
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U.S. WIN is looking for a slogan, catch phrase, or quote for a pro-nuclear kids t-shirt. Help us brand the youngest generation of Nuclear Professionals by submitting your ideas to Richiey Hayes. The winning logo will be added to a t-shirt that will be available at the new U.S. Women in Nuclear clothing website HERE
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Nuclear Advocacy Network
Launched only three months ago, the Nuclear Advocacy Network (NAN) has recruited over 3,000 nuclear advocates all over the country. The program began as an alliance amongst the Nuclear Energy Institute, the American Nuclear Society, U.S. Women in Nuclear and North American Young Generation in Nuclear.
Members of NAN receive e-mail notifications regarding nuclear-related legislation and are encouraged to contact their elected representatives to show constituency support for nuclear. Members are also notified when there are advocacy opportunities occurring in their local communities. This includes opportunities like public town hall meetings and Nuclear Regulatory Commission public meetings. Members are encouraged to attend these meetings, meet their neighbors and speak on behalf of nuclear power. NAN is always looking for advocacy opportunities to give their members. Ideas are always welcome at NuclearAdvocacyNetwork.
Thus far, NAN has sent various members more than 50 advocacy opportunities to participate in NRC public meetings, town hall meetings and encouraged members to contact their elected representatives on topics such as climate change and nuclear program appropriations.
To join NAN, visit HERE and be sure to use the code word “reactor.” To be most effective, NAN encourages you to provide your home mailing address so that you can be connected as a constituent with your elected representatives.
For more information contact Christine Csizmadia.
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Exelon WIN Conference hosted by Peach Bottom WIN
The cold, damp weather in St. Peter's, Pa., stood in contrast to the warm, engaging atmosphere inside during the 2nd Annual Exelon East Women in Nuclear Conference held Friday, May 16.
The event, organized by the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station Women in Nuclear Chapter, was an opportunity for women from around Exelon Nuclear Mid-Atlantic Sites to improve their communications skills and network with colleagues.
Joe Grimes, Peach Bottom site vice president , welcomed more than 70 attendees with words of encouragement. He spoke about the importance of diversity in the workplace and how Exelon provides a tremendous amount of leadership in this area. As he talked about several high-ranking women at Exelon, Grimes said, ”Focus on what's possible and what you can do with your own career.”
The topic of the conference was ”Communicating with Energy” and the morning agenda began with two group sessions that brought this theme into focus. Erica Freedman, senior management development specialist, led one group in a discussion on different communication styles.
”To effectively work with people, we need to be able to effectively read them, interpret their behaviors and nonverbals, so that we can respond appropriately,” said Freedman. The ability to realize your communication style and understanding others is key to a successful career, she added.
The second group, led by Paul Williams, senior training instructor at Salem/Hope Creek, dealt with the often-troublesome topic of dealing with difficult people. Williams discussed types of difficult people and explained their behaviors and ways of coping with them.
The afternoon panel consisted of women in several fields—including Exelon, government and the military—discussing leadership and the challenges they have faced in their careers. One of the main topics of the panel discussion was the low number of women who are licensed reactor operators. The panelists pointed to family concerns, including making a husband's career a priority. They also talked about the difficulty that many people face doing shift work and how it is hard to juggle shift work and a family.
The women on the panel were given a chance to provide final thoughts to conference attendees. The panelists talked about the importance of continued learning, respect for people and maintaining a passion for what you are doing. As JoEllen Burns Muntz, vice president, said, ”If you are not passionate, people will pick up on it and react accordingly. If you are passionate, people will see that as well, and you will be more successful. Don't be afraid to be passionate in what you believe in.”
The themes of communications and leadership are important ideas that many of the women will be able to bring back to their careers. ”I especially enjoyed the panel discussion,” said Liliana Sulca, Oyster Creek I&C component specialist. ”I walked away with a wide variety of pertinent advice about my career track at Exelon.”
The Peach Bottom WIN chapter put together a successful event that continues to help Exelon promote diversity in the workplace. The event not only gave the women who attended a better sense of the challenges that may lie ahead, but also the opportunity to devise ways to work around these potential roadblocks.
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On Sat., May 17, members of Entergy Women In Nuclear (WIN) at Vermont Yankee volunteered their time to cheer on all the participants in the Girls on the Run 3.1 mile race, held in Brattleboro. GOTR is a government sponsored program created to “educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self respect and healthy living.” There are more than 140 councils nation-wide, with more than 60 schools in Vermont participating. Entergy is Vermont’s GOTR biggest sponsor.
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On Saturday April 5th, six members of Entergy Women In Nuclear (WIN) at Vermont Yankee judged and awarded prizes at the Vermont State Science and Math Fair. WIN awarded a $200 prize to 10th grader Ian Patch. Ian’s project demonstrated that CO2 emission levels would be reduced if everyone changed their refrigerator fan motors to an electrically commutated dire motor. The members also awarded a $100 prize to 7th graders Emily Cutting and Alaina Saraka for their project “Nature’s Batteries” involving generating energy from fruits and vegetables.
The Vermont Principals’ Association sponsors the fair, hosted at Norwich University in Northfield, VT. Several state organizations and local branches of national organizations have been generous and loyal contributors to the Science Fair. WIN and Entergy Vermont Yankee joined the ranks this year providing judges and a number of monetary prizes.
The Vermont State Science & Math Fair is affiliated with the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair. This affiliation provides the top two students from grades 9-12 and their teachers the opportunity to participate in ISEF later this spring in Atlanta, GA.
To view more pictures from Entergy's Girls on the Run and the Science and Math Fair click HERE.
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Science Fair Sponsored by Susquehanna WIN Chapter
The PPL Susquehanna chapter of Women In Nuclear recently sponsored a local elementary school Science Fair. WIN supported the parent-teacher organization at Salem Elementary School in Berwick, Pa., to plan the first science fair the school has held in almost 20 years. All students in grades K through 5 were encouraged to participate.
Science fairs encourage children to take an interest in science and to get to know many details of their chosen subject. The children also are given an opportunity to share what they have learned with their classmates. Thirty-three student participants displayed the results of their experiments and investigations of many different areas of science. Displays included chemical reactions, weather, parts of the human body, animals and their habitats, plants, fossils, molecules, the solar system and recycling.
The Susquehanna WIN chapter chose to sponsor this event to acknowledge the efforts of these young achievers. All participants were recognized at the school’s annual awards ceremony and were presented with a certificate of completion by WIN Representative Victoria Dennis.