What's your job about?
For my first rotation I am working in the Nuclear Analysis Section (NAS), a group primarily made up of physicists and engineers. A lot of the work they do is to support the operation of ANSTO’s OPAL nuclear reactor, such as performing calculations to model reactivity in the core of the reactor. Other common work includes calculations of radiation dose rates, so that shielding requirements can be determined (often to support various other groups at ANSTO, such as waste management).
As a graduate, I have been given a project to work on individually. It stems from work done by a previous graduate, who started building a graphical user interface for MCNP (Monte Carlo N-particle), the software that is used to model the reactor. I am further developing this interface.
I start my morning by reading emails and checking the ANSTO intranet. Then I have a look at where I’m up to with my project, and I’ll make a to-do list of all the small steps I want to achieve that day. In the first few months, my tasks mostly consisted of a lot of reading to familiarise myself with MCNP and OPAL (manuals, specifications, online tutorials…). Recently my tasks have been fixing bugs and writing code to implement the desired features in the interface.
Separate to my project, but relevant to understanding the work done at NAS, I’ve also learnt how to use MicroShield software, and with it completed a couple of tasks.
What's your background?
I grew up in Canberra and Queanbeyan. School was generally very enjoyable for me; I loved studying, and participating in music, debating, and various other co-curriculars. Science and maths were my favourite subjects most of the time, and because my older brother was also into them, I had great support at home and was often learning things a few years ahead of time. I decided I wanted to major in physics at university, so I went to ANU because it had a great reputation for physics research. It was also the easy choice, having grown up in Canberra. The physics courses were great; engaging and fascinating. In the later years I found myself struggling with certain aspects of my life and this prompted me to wonder whether physics was really the right path for me, but I persevered with the major, and I’m really happy to be working in science now. I also completed a diploma of languages (French) alongside my degree. I liked having this variety in my study and it allowed me to reconnect in an academic context with some things that I’ve always loved, such as literature and film.
In my final semester of university I went on exchange to Bologna, Italy. There I used all my electives and studied subjects including Italian, geography of languages, and cinema. For the year after that I was working a casual job in retail (although with COVID impacts I also spent a lot of time not working).
I applied for the graduate program at ANSTO because the mix of research and industry-based work was appealing to me. There is so much variety in the work done here, and I’m really looking forward to experiencing more of it.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
I think a physics background is important for my job. A general background knowledge helps me to grasp what people are discussing around the office and allows me to ask questions to probe further and fill in the gaps I don’t understand.
The project I’m currently working on definitely requires some programming experience.
That being said, a lot of what I’m working on is new to me, so the important thing is to be willing to learn.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
I’m still a little bit in awe of all the science that happens at ANSTO. Seeing the work that goes into keeping the reactor running is motivation for me to keep learning and pushing myself. I’m very aware of the fact that we (the grads and others just beginning their careers) will one day be in the senior roles, whether at ANSTO or in other science organisations. We have many resources at our disposal, and if we use them properly, we can make great contributions to society.
The work I’m currently doing doesn’t have big impact, but I do find solving problems and making progress in my project really satisfying.
The ANSTO campus is also incredible. I love walking to meetings through the tree lined road (especially just before sunset it’s gorgeous), eating lunch on the oval, and doing a bushwalk in the middle of the day when I have the time for a long lunch break.
What are the limitations of your job?
For some people this is not a limitation, but it is something I struggle with occasionally, and that is the fact that my project is very independent from the work others in my office are doing. Currently I take responsibility for setting my own daily work and deadlines. Sometimes it is difficult to know that I am on track or spending my time efficiently. However, the solution to this is simple; reaching out to my supervisor, discussing what I’ve been up to, and getting her input on what she thinks the next steps in my task should be. Post supervisor-meeting life is simple and full of clarity!
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