July 30, 2018
Staff Accomplishment

Patricia Huestis Explains Radiation's Roles in Energy Research

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Patricia Huestis explains how radiation forms inspires, assists, and drives diverse research in Frontiers in Energy Research

Congratulations to Patricia Huestis of the Interfacial Dynamics in Radioactive Environments and Materials (IDREAM) Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) on her latest article, "Radiation: A Driver of Science." The article appears in the latest issue of Frontiers in Energy Research. The newsletter features research done at theDepartment of Energy Office of Science's EFRCs. In the article, Huestis explains how radiation in different forms inspires, assists, and drives diverse research.  She brings in examples from six centers. She selected each example based on its ability to showcase a radiation-related process.

In the article, she notes how solar radiation inspires materials research at the Light-Material Interactions in Energy Conversion and the Center for Excitonics. She describes how radiation is used to "see" materials in excruciating detail with examples from the Integrated Mesoscale Architecture for Sustainable Catalysis and the Nanostructures for Electrical Energy Storage. Finally, she concludes with work being done regarding legacy radioactive wastes. She describes studies from IDREAM and the Center for Performance and Design of Nuclear Waste Forms and Containers.

Huestis is a Ph.D. candidate studying physics at the University of Notre Dame. For IDREAM, she conducts research into how ionizing radiation affects aging waste stored in tanks. If you'd like to learn more about the EFRCs, sign up for the newsletter at https://www.energyfrontier.us/newsletter/.

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