Over a hundred students gathered inside the Watson auditorium during Pride Time on Friday, March 10 for a presentation by the Department of Energy. The presentation was given by the current Senior Advisor of the Office of Nuclear energy Suzanne Jaworowski. Jaworowski is also an AHS alumnus, graduating alongside the class of 1985.

After being introduced by Principal Tim Thomas, Jaworowski briefly outlined the purpose of her presentation, which was to discuss the application of future energy systems and innovations in nuclear energy.

“The reason I wanted to come and do this is a couple of things,” Jaworowski said. “One is because very little is known about nuclear technology in our country today and it’s a very critical and important and relevant asset that we have.”

Jaworowski began her presentation by talking about her career after high school. She attended Radford University and majored in marketing. Afterward, she moved on to discuss the history of nuclear energy.

Accompanied with videos and graphs, the Office of Nuclear Energy developed a slideshow titled “The History & Future of the Atoms” which highlighted aspects of nuclear science such as the beginnings of nuclear energy, the use of nuclear energy in the United States today, the first self-sustaining chain reaction and the processing of nuclear energy into electricity.

She also encouraged students to pursue a career in nuclear energy and provided fliers for the audience outlining some possible professions.

After her presentation, Jaworowski responded to the questions that the audience had for her. Some were focused on the content of her presentation, while others were about her previous jobs in the coal industry and how that background impacts her work today.

“When I worked in advertising, I had clients in energy, I thought I knew a lot about energy from that experience, but I really didn’t,” Jaworowski said. “Then I went to work for a fuel company that developed coal and natural gas and oil and I learned so much more. Now I work for the US Department of Energy and there’s still so much more to learn so I realized how deep it is and how critical it is to our way of life.”