You're invited to our very first NERS Graduate Student Council Colloquium, an event that will ignite your curiosity and open the doors to the fascinating world of scientific exploration. At the heart of this event is a celebration of unity and collaboration among scientific minds. We extend our deepest gratitude to the speakers who have volunteered to share their research, making this event a vibrant testament to our shared passion for knowledge.

So, come with your questions, your curiosity, and your eagerness to learn. Whether you're a science aficionado or a newcomer to the wonders of research, this event promises an evening of enjoyable and enlightening discussions.

SPEAKERS:

Mackenzie Warwick
Title: Development of Tapered Specimen Geometries for Accelerated Ion Irradiation Creep Testing of 316 Stainless Steel
Description: Given the rapid increase of average global temperatures coupled with the rise in global energy consumption, we need a high-power density, carbon-reduced energy source. Nuclear reactor concepts can provide such energy and advanced designs couple high temperature (>300°C), high stress (>100 MPa), high dose (>25 displacements per atom – dpa), and corrosive environments in-core to generate the necessary power. These coupled extreme environments place unparalleled dependencies on the irradiation creep strength of materials. We have developed tapered specimen geometries for ion irradiation creep testing to simulate in-core coupled extremes and to rapidly iterate across in-core environmental factors within a single or small subset of irradiation experiments.
Short Bio: Mackenzie Warwick is a fourth-year PhD candidate in NERS, with a focus on ion irradiation creep and material performance in coupled extreme environments. Mackenzie is an intern at Idaho National Laboratory researching crystal plasticity and modeling of creep mechanisms for long-term performance prediction.