Calling

Two years ago, when I was seriously considering grad school, I went to Carnegie Mellon and met with the head of the department, Granger Morgan. I sat in his office in a rocking chair and he handed me a cup of tea and asked me "Erin, if you had a fairy godmother who would give you funding to study whatever you wanted, what would you study?"

"Why we don't have more nuclear power."

He got really excited, and we had a great conversation about US nuclear policy, the game of Washington, and public perception. He said he thought that the timing was right to explore this topic and after giving me a book to read, he introduced me to one of his faculty members who focuses on nuclear policy.

I haven't thought about that visit in a really long time. Today, I was reminded not only of that visit, but of what I want to focus on in life: nuclear power.

Yes, I know it seems scary to most people, but I really think that if we are serious about reducing GHG emissions and mitigating climate change, nuclear must be part of the solution...in a big way. How do we get there? No idea yet... but I'm excited.