Nearly 40 summer interns at the Savannah River Site received job offers during an annual Signing Day event. September 2, 2025
Office of Environmental Management
September 2, 2025
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Students in the Savannah River Nuclear Solutions Internship Program signed full-time job offers during the contractor’s recent Signing Day event.
AIKEN, S.C. — Nearly 40 summer interns at the Savannah River Site (SRS) received job offers during an annual Signing Day event, helping shape the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) workforce of the future that will continue progress addressing the legacy of the past.
Concluding the 12-week program, 38 interns signed on to full-time opportunities, and 25 others converted to apprenticeships with EM contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS). They are part of the more than 2,000 new employees SRNS plans to hire in the next five years to support growing EM and National Nuclear Security Administration missions.
Read a recent EM Update feature about intern Olivia Ruszczyk, a senior mechanical engineering student at New Mexico State University. She spent this summer inspecting steam systems in the Savannah River Site H Canyon, the only operating, production-scale, radiologically shielded chemical separations facility in the United States.
The SRNS Internship Program provides opportunities for students from two-year technical colleges and four-year universities, up to the doctoral level, to gain hands-on learning experiences related to their fields of study. This year, SRNS selected 173 interns from nearly 4,500 applications.
“You’ve seen firsthand how SRNS’ missions are essential to our nation's safety and strength,” said Jim Dawkins, SRNS executive vice president and chief operations officer. “As you sign your offer today, remember that you’re now part of something bigger than yourself. Ask questions, show up early, and do what needs to be done to support the mission.”
Jim Dawkins, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions executive vice president and chief operations officer, shares opening remarks during the Signing Day event.
Sean Alford, SRNS senior vice president and chief administrative officer, told the interns, “There’s a lot to be done at the Savannah River Site and we need great young minds like you to accomplish it."
He highlighted the work of Mia Thompson, a senior studying computer science at Augusta University in Georgia.
“One of my key responsibilities was to gather data from various departments and transform it into understandable formats and dashboards,” said Thompson, who developed a predictive analysis algorithm to combat attrition. “By collecting historical data on employees’ demographics when they left the company, we’re able to calibrate the model to understand factors that might influence this decision."
She added that she looks forward to graduating in December and returning to the site for her new role.
Bryan Ortner, senior vice president, SRNS Workforce Services and Talent Management, noted over 100 interns have signed job offers with SRNS in the past three years.
“From a hiring standpoint, we are closing major gaps and positively impacting our future workforce," he said.
Andrew Guerry from the University of South Carolina spent his summer with SRNS Contract Administration. He offered advice to future interns.
“Fully immerse yourself in the experience. Go to everything, contribute to your team and build connections with everyone. It sounds simple, but it’s not,” Guerry said. “It’s easy to say you don’t want to go to an event because you’re tired. Stay active and engaged and this unique experience will be the best one yet.”
-Contributor: Mackenzie McNabb
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