Nearly 40 Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) summer interns received full-service job offers during the annual ‘Signing Day’ event, solidifying their place within a workforce known for its 75-year legacy of innovation in nuclear nonproliferation, national security, and environmental stewardship.

Concluding the 12-week program, 38 interns signed on to full-service opportunities, and 25 others converted to apprenticeships on August 4.

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 received nearly 4,500 applications, and from that impressive pool, 173
were selected.

During his opening remarks, Jim Dawkins, SRNS Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer,
stated, “You’ve seen firsthand how SRNS’ missions are essential to our nation's safety and strength.
Your role in advancing deterrence through new weapons, production capabilities, and strategies is
crucial to our success. 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.”

SRNS Network Operations Engineer Tellajah Chalk and Data Integration Developers Damari Mazyck and Cristian Carroz sign their full-service offers with managers Henry Longley and Tee Paschall.

SRNS Chemical Engineer Nicholas Parker, Process Control Engineer Rachel Wood and Software Engineer Patrick Watkins sign their full-service offers with managers Steven Mentrup, Patricia Ard, Jeremy Thompson and David Tamburello.

Dr. Sean Alford, SRNS Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, also addressed the interns, saying, “You deserve to be here. Be proud of this achievement. You tell our story best. When you go back to campus, spread the word about your valuable experiences and know that you are essential to our progress. There’s a lot to be done at the Savannah River Site and we need great young minds like you to accomplish it."

Dr. Alford highlighted the positive impact of the program, referencing a key project co-led by Mia Thompson, a senior studying computer science at Augusta University. As a Data Analyst intern for IT
Data Management and Analytics, Thompson developed a predictive analysis algorithm to combat
attrition at SRNS. “One of my key responsibilities was to gather data from various departments and
transform it into understandable formats and dashboards. 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."

Thompson also had the opportunity to develop an automated exit survey. “These automatic
enhancements allow SRNS to see comprehensive statistics and narrow down data by organization — a
Power Automate dashboard I’m incredibly proud of. As I look forward to graduating in December and
returning to the Site, I'm filled with gratitude and excitement for what lies ahead,” she added.
Current interns proudly sign full-time job offers during the third annual SRNS ‘Signing Day’ event, marking a significant milestone as the 100th intern commits to SRNS.

Bryan Ortner, SRNS Senior Vice President, Workforce Services and Talent Management, emphasized
the significance of the day, adding, “Someone in this room today marks our 100th intern to commit to
SRNS in three years. From a hiring standpoint, we are closing major gaps and positively impacting our
future workforce. To the interns that received offers today, you have gone through a rigorous assessment process and there’s a reason you’ve been picked to join our team."

SRNS plans to hire more than 2,000 new employees in the next five years to support the National
Nuclear Security Administration’s missions. In the competitive STEM (science, technology, engineering
and math) world, staying ahead of the curve is key to finding talented individuals to support SRNS’ long- term organizational goals. The spark for STEM careers is ignited as early as kindergarten and is
gradually strengthened through internships, 29 registered apprenticeship occupations, and university
partnership pipelines.

Andrew Guerry from the University of South Carolina spent his summer focused on
contract close-out with the SRNS Contract Administration team, offering 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. 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.”

Emma Whitaker, a recent graduate from the University of South Carolina Aiken with a degree in Business Administration, interned with the Accounts Payable team. “From the first day I walked in, everyone was extremely genuine and wanted to see me succeed. I started in accounts payable, working on invoices and pay stats, and then transitioned into travel, handling daily expense reports. I made the decision to sign on today because my entire team was so helpful as I was learning new things, and I’m ready to leave my mark as a full-service employee,” she shared. SRNS interns tackled real-world challenges, protecting critical assets while demonstrating the true value of their academic skills. For more information about the SRNS Internship Program, click here.