Nuclear Engineer
Stephan works as a nuclear engineer. After obtaining a bachelor's degree, he passed the exams required to become a Professional Engineer.
Stephan began his career working for the government, but he is now employed by a utilities company. He is part of a large team of nuclear engineers who are responsible for making sure that the nuclear power plant is running safely and efficiently, and that the nuclear waste is disposed of safely. Stephan's role within the team is to increase efficiency by designing the core of the reactor.
Once he has checked his email and made a few phone calls to his colleagues, Stephan begins to work on some core designs. The engineers in the department work together to design and plan the entire process for the nuclear power plant, from the procurement of fuel to the storage of the waste products.
Stephan is trying to create a design that will maximize production but which will also be safe under all operating conditions. He also has to consider what would happen in the event of an unexpected accident, and design the core so that it would be as harmless as possible.
After lunch, Stephan attends a team meeting, during which each member updates the rest of the department on the progress of their work. Stephan then has a one on one meeting with another member of the team where they look over Stephan's design and discuss how it can be improved. Stephan then returns to his office to make some changes to his design based on the discussion.
Stephan uses a lot of mathematics in his work, most of which is done in front of a computer. He does occasionally visit the nuclear power plant, but since his focus is not on maintenance or safety, he is not required to do so very often.
In addition to his design work, Stephan keeps up to date with the latest developments in the field. Before he goes home, he reads some recently published articles that may have a bearing on his work.
