A Capital Event –Young Professionals in Nuclear Gather in Washington, DC

There was no shortage of energy in Washington, DC from May 12 – 14, 2013, as close to 400 young professionals gathered for the North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NAYGN) annual conference. 

Conference attendees gathered from across the United States, Canada, and Mexico to learn about safety, security, and leadership in the nuclear industry.  The conference offered technical content as well as a strong leadership track to complement NAYGN’s vision of “developing leaders to energize the future of nuclear.” The conference had many noteworthy speakers, highlighted by a keynote address from the Honorable Adam Kinzinger, U.S. Representative for Illinois’s 16^th congressional district. 

The event culminated in a day of advocacy on Capitol Hill, where 300 young professionals walked the halls of congress and held over 200 meetings with members of congress and their staff.  NAYGN’s Incoming President Christine Csizmadia remarked that “NAYGN’s Capitol Hill Day is a grass-roots effort.  We are there to show policy makers that there is a large contingent of young professionals who support a bright future for nuclear energy.”

Conference attendees were also able to interact with Director Robert Stone of the upcoming documentary film “Pandora’s Promise” via live video feed, during which excitement was generated to support this illuminating and educational film on nuclear energy that will be released in select cities starting June 2013.  For more information, see http://pandoraspromise.com.

The annual conference was also a chance for NAYGN to celebrate the past year’s accomplishments, which are apparent in the over 96,000 hours of work that members performed in 2012 towards the organization’s goals.  NAYGN’s 2012 award winners were honored, showcasing noteworthy member accomplishments from across the organization.  A surprise award highlight was the George Hairston award for excellence in executive level support, given to Jim Scarola of Duke Energy. 

NAYGN is a volunteer organization for young professionals that are less than 35 years of age or within the first 10 years of their working career. NAYGN provides professional development for its members and shares public information about the benefits obtained from peaceful use of nuclear science and technology.  The organization boasts 9500 members and 105 local chapters across North America.  For more information, see www.naygn.web.zuul.work.