把能量带到林奇堡
Displayed on a bookshelf in Jacki 史蒂文斯’ 金通公司 office, a small card makes a big impact. 史蒂文斯, who leads teams focused on nuclear energy and technology, points to a tiny illustration of one uranium fuel pellet, 也许比铅笔橡皮还要长一点.
“Five of these pellets produce enough electricity for one house for an entire year,” 史蒂文斯 says. The energy that can come out of just one pellet equals 149 gallons of oil, 一吨煤和17,000立方英尺的天然气. “核能是一种令人难以置信的能源.”
当史蒂文斯苏醒过来 金通公司 as a materials science engineer more than a decade ago, she’d never been exposed to nuclear energy and was struck by the emphasis on safety. “Every meeting we have starts with a safety message. 这是我们文化的一部分,”她说.
非常注重安全, 金通公司 supports nuclear reactors across the globe to deliver clean, carbon-free energy that is reliable and efficient. Employees work for today’s fleet of reactors and also develop new technologies for smaller reactors, which are the future of zero-carbon energy production.
但是什么是核反应堆呢? “这是一个发电厂,”史蒂文斯解释说. “Think about a coal-fired plant or a wind turbine,” she explains. “They convert the energy of giant rotating fan blades into electricity. A wind turbine uses the wind to turn the blades, while other power plants boil water to produce steam and use the steam to turn giant fan blades. But instead of burning coal or natural gas, we use nuclear as the source of heat energy.”
That’s why nuclear has a much lower impact on the environment. 史蒂文斯 likes the excitement of her job — and she’s proud of the global value it adds. “它永远不会无聊. Even if you’re working through a problem you’ve encountered before, 肯定会有新的转折,她说。. “Like me, most employees at 金通公司 come to work every day because they believe in nuclear energy.”
今天, 林奇堡是核工程的热点, with a nuclear workforce at 8 percent above the national average. 除了金通公司, 哪个关注商业反应堆, about 27 firms maintain a highly skilled labor market, 包括 BWX技术, which is a leading government supplier of nuclear components and fuel.
That means there are a lot of great jobs in this sector. 甚至在大流行之前, 史蒂文斯 was supported in working from home each afternoon so she could meet her children, 现在是11和8, 当他们下车的时候. “I was able to work from home while they did homework,她说。. “Having that ability to flex when I need to go and be a mom first is never questioned or challenged. And likewise, there are times I need to put 金通公司 first, and that works too. We all have people who matter to us outside of the office, and it’s wonderful to work for a company that encourages employees to find that balance.”
我十大正规赌博平台大全, balance is easy to come by. “I’ve found it to be an incredible city that doesn’t feel too big to raise a family,” 史蒂文斯 says. “流量不是很大. 生活费用很低. 周末有很多事情要做, 尤其是户外活动——散步, 徒步旅行, playing with our dog—which is what we really enjoy. And if we want to visit a bigger city, that’s easy, too.”
Off the clock, 史蒂文斯 serves on the advisory council for 领导林奇堡. A program offered through the 林奇堡区域商业联盟, 领导林奇堡 combines formal lessons and mentoring with a community project that “leaves a footprint” on the Lynchburg region.
When 史蒂文斯 took the nine-month course a few years ago, it helped her make connections across the region and develop her leadership strengths. “It’s nice that you can take what you’re learning and apply it in the context of a meaningful project that lets you give back to the community,她说。. “You can practice the skills you’re learning without having to experiment on the job.”
The program builds leaders who feel confident in their values and know how to lead from a place of authenticity. They want to have a positive impact on their organizations and their communities. Recognized across the country as best-in-class, the 领导林奇堡 program is part of what makes Lynchburg attractive to employees like 史蒂文斯: It supports people who are doing what they love.
领导林奇堡 also gives 史蒂文斯 an opportunity to be an advocate and mentor for minorities in engineering. Over the course of her education and now career — a bachelor’s from NC State University and a master’s from the University of Virginia, both in materials engineering — 史蒂文斯 has often been one of the only females in a class or on a corporate team. She believes the industry will not be successful unless it casts a wide net for diverse talent.
To students on the fence about an engineering career, she offers this advice: “Do it! 不要放弃. 这可能很难,但绝对令人满意. The view you bring, the experience you bring, it’s so valued and so needed.”