Employee at Savannah River Site Finds Career Through Senior Capstone Project

Tristan Harris was hired by Savannah River Mission Completion and started out as a senior capstone student for the University of South Carolina Aiken. He now works at the Defense Waste Processing Facility as a facility system health coordinator.

AIKEN, S.C. - A student who worked on a capstone project for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management's liquid waste contractor at the Savannah River Site (SRS) heard a calling to join the nuclear industry.

And he's glad he did.

Hired in December, Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) employee Tristan Harris is a facility system health coordinator at the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). Key to the liquid waste mission, the facility began operations in March 1996, converting high-activity radioactive liquid waste stored at SRS into a solid glass form suitable for long term storage and disposal.

Harris' general role is to be the engineering interface to ensure that SRMC is compliant in procedures that outline the system health program at DWPF. System health helps ensure the facility is running well and following all performance plans.

If a system breaks down frequently or is constantly out of service, it is Harris' job to document it to help show that they need to improve it to safely meet production processing goals and expectations.

Harris found out about SRMC through his senior capstone project in May 2022. He and several students were tasked with analyzing deficiencies and proposing upgrades to the Shielded Canister Transporter.

During his capstone project, he saw DWPF up-close, learned more about the process of turning nuclear waste into a glass, and the importance of treating and immobilizing radioactive liquid waste so it does not get into the environment.

His experience at DWPF led him to a career in nuclear.

After graduating, he got an interview with SRMC after attending a job fair at the University of South Carolina Aiken and got hired. Since working at SRS, he has come to know what it is like to be passionate about a career.

"I am happy that I get to come to work every day, and I am so thankful that SRMC allows me the opportunity to be able to grow as a professional. It feels good to know that I am helping better the future in the long run," Harris said.

-Contributor: Roman Gardner