Los Alamos Hosts Students From Program Providing Workforce Pipeline

Vince Rodriguez, program manager, environmental remediation with Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC, provides New Mexico State University’s 2026 NuChemE Pipeline Summer Program undergraduate students with an overview on groundwater, surface water and stormwater sampling and monitoring.

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — New Mexico State University’s 2026 NuChemE Pipeline Summer Program recently provided undergraduate students from across the country a rare, firsthand look at cleanup efforts at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office and its legacy cleanup contractor, Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC (N3B), showed students key sites that address legacy contamination and waste from nuclear weapons production and research from the Manhattan Project and Cold War era at LANL.

“We are excited about the opportunity for our students to see firsthand the environmental remediation work that is being done at Los Alamos National Laboratory,” said Catherine Brewer, chemical and materials professor at New Mexico State University and NuChemE Pipeline program director. “Nuclear is a challenging STEM field to get your foot in the door. Without any experience or knowledge, students are likely to not even try to open the door. That’s why we are so appreciative of the support from the DOE and its contractors.”

The NuChemE Pipeline, which is supported by DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM), was created to address a longstanding gap between what students know about nuclear materials, radioisotopes, and DOE operations, and the level of understanding expected during recruitment.

During the tour, students learned how crews conduct groundwater and soil remediation, manage legacy waste and continue long-term environmental monitoring at LANL.

“I’ve been doing this work for a longtime. Soon, I will be handing over the reins to young adults like those participating in this program,” N3B President and General Manager Brad Smith said. “I look forward to welcoming the next generation of young professionals to a career that is meaningful and rewarding.”

This year’s class includes 12 students from 11 universities across the country, majoring in chemical engineering, chemistry, geology, environmental science and business information systems.

The LANL cleanup tour includes visits to LANL’s Chemistry Division; museums on nuclear history in Los Alamos and Albuquerque, New Mexico; the University of New Mexico Nuclear Engineering Department; Urenco USA, the only commercial enrichment facility operating in the U.S.; EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico; the Savannah River Site in South Carolina; and Plant Vogtle, the largest nuclear power plant in the country.

Long-term plans for the NuChemE Pipeline include developing a remote graduate certificate in nuclear chemical engineering at New Mexico State University to expand access to EM careers for students in science, engineering and business fields. By combining hands-on learning with exposure to real world cleanup work, the program aims to build a diverse, well-prepared pipeline of future scientists, engineers and professionals ready to support EM’s environmental stewardship responsibilities.

–Contributor: Donavan Mager