Cultivating Future Leaders in Nuclear Science While Transferring Historical and Institutional Knowledge

With increasingly mobile generations entering the workforce, engaging early-career staff in the transfer of historical and institutional knowledge is critical for cultivating and retaining the next generation of leaders. While this is imperative in numerous technical fields, nuclear science faces a unique challenge because missions span decades. Understanding the historical foundation of scientific, engineering, and technological development within an institution is vital for accelerating modern day discoveries and avoiding knowledge gaps that mirror workforce demographics. A dedicated effort related to strategic knowledge transfer can aid in establishing traits, attitudes, and characteristics desired in workplace culture. A firm grasp of unique institutional strengths and weaknesses is critical for securing funding and building collaborative relationships within and between institutions. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has a vested interest in cultivating future leaders in nuclear science fields. Recently, PNNL piloted an approach where cohorts of mentors and mentees were paired together to develop and deliver workshops on topics that span decades, such as Plutonium Processing or Environmental Management of Legacy Nuclear Waste. Mentors are distinguished experts in their field who are nearing retirement age. Mentees are early and mid-career professionals who are developing technical expertise in topic areas that we don’t want to lose. Through this process, interactive workshops were developed and ultimately delivered by the mentees for various audiences where each topic includes technical content and an active learning component. Beyond workshop content, other dimensions of this training include networking, increased visibility of early and mid-career staff, improved presentation skills, and a marketing piece to communicate how history influences unique modern-day research capabilities. Both mentors and mentees expressed professional satisfaction in expanding their collaborative technical networks while creating a repository of information on strategic topics. Mitigating the challenges of an increasingly mobile workforce could be achieved if a collaborative approach to cultivating the next generation of leaders in nuclear science is fostered throughout national laboratory, industry, and academic institutions. The model described above can be applied to numerous settings where transfer and retention of historical and institutional knowledge is essential.