Saluting a new generation of nuclear leaders

This month's Nuclear News features our inaugural 40 Under 40 list of the brightest rising stars in the nuclear field.

The time has clearly come for this feature. The current resurgence of nuclear isn't just a technological transformation; it's also a changing of the guard. Consider this: For the first time in modern history, the American Nuclear Society has more members under the age of 40 than over the age of 60.

Of course, for as long as I can remember, the nuclear workforce has always been a bit of a double-humped demographic camel. Picture a nuclear workforce age chart and you will see two distinct peaks, or what a statistician might call a "bimodal distribution." "Peak 1" is on the right and is centered over the Baby Boomer generation, many of whom entered the industry in its heyday of the 1960s and '70s. These are the men and women who built the nuclear enterprise as we know it today.

They are also the people who kept things running after the Three Mile Island accident, when I'm sure it seemed like the whole world was against them. TMI punched a demographic hole in the nuclear workforce. As one of the comparatively few Gen Xers in the industry, I can attest to the precipitous drop-off between generations. Even into my 40s, people would still refer to me as "young man." "Only in the nuclear industry," I would later joke to my friends.

Now let's have a look to the left at "Peak 2." It is centered over the late Millennials but also picks up a few early Gen Zs-all of whom were born after TMI. Few have any memories of Chernobyl. Until last year, none had seen a new reactor commissioned and built in the U.S. in their lifetimes. (True, Watts Bar-2 came on line in 2016, but that project was conceived in the 1970s then halted in the mid-80s before being resurrected.) Many were drawn to the nuclear field for its vast potential to combat global climate change. And unlike the "keep your head low and electrons flowing" ethos of their forebearers, this new generation is perfectly comfortable telling the world why nuclear is a wonderful and ultimately necessary technology if we want to enable the prosperity of billions of people without cooking the planet in the process.

These two nuclear generations look and act very differently from each other, and like any intergenerational family, there is bound to be cultural and ideological friction between them, especially in this time of heightened political sensitivities. Here's my challenge to you: Find someone from the other peak, buy them a beverage of their choice, and pick their brains. It's amazing what you will learn if you ask the right questions. The stark reality is this: As this new generation grows into prominence, it will increasingly carry the burden of enabling the nuclear resurgence on its shoulders. And to succeed, it will need the wisdom and experience of those who came before them to get the job done right.

Congrats to our 40 Under 40! Remember, you stand on the shoulders of giants.