Texas A&M senior Gabriel Ivory made waves with his pro-nuclear energy sign on ESPN's college football broadcast.
September 6, 2024
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If you tuned into ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast from Texas A&M University on August 31, you might have noticed something unusual.
Behind the TV commentators, amid the sea of handmade signs held by cheering students, one in particular had a unique message: “I Heart Nuclear Energy.”
The sign belonged to Texas A&M nuclear engineering student Gabriel Ivory. Ivory is a passionate supporter of Aggie football and nuclear energy, and when he heard the national TV cameras were coming to town, he knew he had an opportunity.
“It was crazy. I knew if I was seen, if I got up there, it would be trending,” he said.
Ivory, an undergraduate senior, said he learned about the benefits of nuclear energy during his freshman year and has been trying to find ways to spark a wider conversation about the nation’s largest source of carbon-free power.
Holding up a sign on a college football broadcast seemed like the perfect way to spread the word. But first, he had to get on camera.
Seizing the Opportunity
The night before the game, Ivory made the sign with his girlfriend and sister then headed to the Aggies’ “midnight yell” practice. He didn’t get to bed until 2 a.m., then woke up just two hours later to battle for a spot behind the broadcast desk.
“I’m there at 5:00 in the morning, and it’s packed. There’s so many people in front of me, I’m like, there’s no way I’m going to get anywhere near the front,” Ivory said.
But he was determined to get his message across.
“On the loudspeaker, the one of the announcers said, ‘I want to see everyone’s signs, let’s get everyone with a sign to the front,’” Ivory said. “I’m like, OK, that’s my opportunity. Three people are in front of me and I kind of just shove them out of the way — they weren’t upset about it, but I had to get to the front. I felt like my message was pretty important.”
Ivory ended up in a prime spot just over the shoulder of one of the correspondents. His “I Heart Nuclear Energy” sign was clearly visible in many shots of the live broadcast.
Now Trending
The reaction on social media was immediate — and almost entirely positive.
Images of his sign circulated quickly as national labs, utilities, influencers, and even former Miss America Grace Stanke shared it online.
“I just really appreciated seeing all of that,” he said. “There were so many people that messaged me, so many people that were like, ‘Not all heroes wear capes.’ And it was just super cool, and I’m really appreciative of all the support that I’ve seen.”
Ivory said he just wants others to gain the same appreciation he has for nuclear energy since he started researching its benefits — like emissions-free electricity generation, small footprint, and numerous other beneficial uses.
“I didn’t know nuclear medicine was a career. I didn’t know about nuclear desalination. If we can use this technology to solve pretty much everything wrong with what’s going on right now, then why shouldn’t we be talking about it all the time?”
Keeping the Conversation Going
This summer, Ivory worked as a nuclear design intern for Westinghouse on the eVinci microreactor project. The project is supported through our Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program and is one of three microreactor experiments that could potentially be tested at our DOME test bed at Idaho National Laboratory.
Ivory said he’s determined to continue working to change minds about nuclear energy. He’s collaborating with a friend who started a nuclear advocacy organization at Texas A&M and challenged students to hold up their own nuclear energy signs at upcoming College GameDays.
“We are trying to get Texas A&M to be the most pro-nuclear campus in the world,” he said. “Stuff like that starts locally, it starts with conversations with your friends. Anything to get nuclear in a positive light in public is progress — that’s really all that matters.”