6/21/2024 Jackson Brunner
Written by Jackson Brunner
A Materials Science and Engineering graduate student at The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, can keep working to make her career ambitions a reality with the help of an award from the U.S. Department of Energy. The agency’s Office of Science gave Sara Wonner, who is currently pursuing her doctoral thesis, a Graduate Student Research award.
In total, there are 86 graduate students across 31 states and Puerto Rico who earned the latest SCGSR honors. Each recipient could claim resources and access to a national laboratory for use in pursuing their thesis research. Department of Energy leaders hope the opportunities given to students will help improve the fundamental understanding of nature in energy-relevant areas.
Wonner said she wants a research-focused career after she completes her doctorate. Through SCGSR, she plans to conduct part of her thesis research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, located in Richland, Wash. She will benefit from the guidance of Dr. Arun Devaraj, who is an expert in the application of advanced characterization techniques for understanding ion and neutron irradiation-induced microstructural evolution in materials.
Wonner’s specific area of study is about understanding the impact of radiation damage on 316L stainless steel. This structural material is common in nuclear reactors. She hopes to help scientists better understand how radiation-induced segregation – when an alloy’s compositional elements either enrich or deplete at key areas of the material’s microstructure – happens. Her thesis research will investigate the role of grain boundary character on radiation-induced segregation and precipitation in ion-irradiated 316L austenitic stainless steel.
“Through this program, I will be able to make significant progress on my thesis research and acquire new scientific experience and expertise in materials characterization techniques, such as a correlative microscopy utilizing scanning transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography,” Wonner said. “I believe this early-career award is a tremendous opportunity, and I am deeply honored to have received it.”