AIKEN, S.C. - Last summer, Bryt’Ni Hill arrived at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) for an internship after graduating from South Carolina’s Newberry College.
She hoped to gain experience and skills for her career - but the internship also gave her a head start on her career. Hers is just one success story from SRNL interns made possible by EM’s Minority Serving Institutes Partnership Program (MSIPP).
Working in the lab’s Analytical Development division, Hill and another intern worked together to improve a method to measure plutonium concentrations. By the end of the 10-week internship, their work was used in the F and H Area Lab at the Savannah River Site (SRS), and SRNL offered Hill a position as associate scientist in the Materials Science and Technology directorate.
Hill said her internship was a unique opportunity, providing valuable training, education and skills.
“I had the chance to find the strengths I bring to a team and how to apply them," Hill said. “I’ve gained new connections with people that I would have not met or only talked to in passing if I had gotten my position without the internship."
Success stories such as Hill’s are considered great achievements for MSIPP, according to Vivian Cato, MSIPP’s program manager.
“Bryt’Ni is a perfect example of the great opportunities created through MSIPP," Cato said. “This program fosters a ‘win-win’ situation for both student interns and the Office of Environmental Management."
Hill echoed Cato’s sentiment.
“MSIPP helps minority students get internship opportunities in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields," she said. “Internships are very competitive, but MSIPP bridges that gap by having research presentations throughout the year and hands-on research for students to apply their classwork."
In her current role, Hill helps determine corrosion chemistry control limits for the radioactive liquid waste stored in large, carbon-steel tanks at SRS and EM’s Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. She prepares and runs electrochemical and immersion tests to measure the need for inhibitors in tank-waste solutions to reduce corrosion in the underground tanks.
MSIPP’s goal to increase the number of minorities in STEM fields aligns with EM’s need for STEM professionals to accomplish its cleanup missions. MSIPP gives students work experience at laboratories across the DOE complex. At SRS, MSIPP is managed by SRNL, with oversight from EM headquarters.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
