About 40 students from local rural high schools visited the Hanford Site’s Volpentest HAMMER Federal Training Center to learn about the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management mission and career opportunities in STEM fields at the site.
Office of Environmental Management
February 4, 2025
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Carrie Jacobs, Beryllium and Asbestos Program manager with Hanford Mission Integration Solutions’ Training & Technology Program at the Volpentest HAMMER Federal Training Center, shows students how to use respiratory equipment during a recent Hanford STEM Day event. HAMMER stands for Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response.
RICHLAND, Wash. — About 40 students from local rural high schools visited the Hanford Site’s Volpentest HAMMER Federal Training Center to learn about the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) mission and career opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) at the site.
“These community events allow us to introduce students to the Hanford cleanup mission and showcase the critical work we do,” said Cerise Peck, public affairs specialist with the Hanford Field Office. “We are able to provide a firsthand look at future career paths.”
Hosted by Hanford Field Office contractor Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, the event highlighted EM's efforts to build pathways for students to pursue STEM careers while encouraging future workforce development aligned with the Hanford cleanup mission.
Ben Culver, Hanford Mission Integration Solutions’ Industrial Safety Training manager at the Volpentest HAMMER Federal Training Center, guides students through the facility’s Search & Rescue Building as part of a recent Hanford STEM Day event.
Brittany Robertson, a nuclear chemist for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL) Nuclear Material Processing team, talks to students about technology used for PNNL careers during a recent One Hanford STEM Day Career & Resource Fair.
Students participated in hands-on demonstrations and presentations on jobs in fields such as search and rescue, health and safety, hoisting and rigging, fall protection and fire response.
Part of the STEM Day event was a career and resource fair that included representatives from local colleges, EM and Hanford contractors. It gave students the chance to learn about the variety of opportunities available at Hanford and the educational and technical programs some careers require.
“This is career-connected learning at its finest,” said Heather Tibbett, deputy director of the Washington State STEM Education Foundation. “These are experiential opportunities for students to really see the career opportunities available right here in their own backyards and that, no matter what their interests are, there are options for them at Hanford.”
-Contributor: Shyanne Palmus