MAAIS student Sason Hayashi has been awarded a National Nuclear Security Administration Graduate Fellowship, a competitive, salaried position which will enable her to work in the NNSA’s Office of Material Management and Minimization in Washington, DC for one year following her graduation this summer. In addition to gaining hands-on experience in nuclear security and nonproliferation, fellowship recipients benefit from extensive interaction with leading national security and policy experts, career development guidance, and professional networking.
During the fellowship, Sason will focus in two specific areas: the conversion of nuclear research reactors from highly-enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel and supporting the adequate U.S. supply of the medical isotope Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). At present, there are only six nuclear research reactors in the world producing Mo-99, and a number of them have faced shutdowns in recent months. More than 50,000 nuclear imaging procedures are performed in the United States each day, 80 percent of them requiring Technetium-99m (Tc-99m), which is derived from Mo-99.
Sason came to the MAAIS program with a background in nuclear medicine, having spent 7 years as a certified nuclear medicine technologist, and a deep interest in international security and global health. A self-described “Nuclear Nerd,” Sason has served as a STEM officer with the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management on campus and has organized and collaborated on a number of events exploring such topics as women in non-proliferation and nuclear medicine. Congratulations, Sason!