Razieh Larki (PhD student) and Richard Meng (Master’s student), from the Queen’s nuclear groups, won top honors at the UNENE Annual R&D Workshop 2024 Student Symposium, which took place in Toronto, Ontario, on December 9-10, 2024. Larki won Poster 1st Prize for her presentation on “Pb-induced SCC of Fe- and Ni-based alloys in high temperature caustic environments”, while Meng was awarded Best 7-Minute Thesis for his presentation on “Modelling molten salts and other nuclear materials”.
When asked about her winning presentation, Razieh Larki stated, “My research investigation focuses on Pb-SCC susceptibility of Alloys 800, 690 and 600 in high temperature high pressure using static autoclave.” She added that the valuable opportunity to network with peers from different universities and engage with industry people to talk about their research and future findings was one of the highlights of the UNENE event.
Razieh Larki with her award
In particular, Richard Meng’s Best 7-Minute Thesis presentation on “Modelling molten salts and other nuclear materials” explored a method that can significantly lower the costs associated with preparing such models. Speaking about his competition experience and highlights of the event, Meng emphasized, “This year, having a presentation rather than a poster, I was able to see the research of more students and also capture some great moments in photo. One of the highlights, in my opinion, was the poster session which was far bigger than in prior years and had a greater variety of schools and attendees. Additionally, compared to previous years, the panel-based sessions allowed for more audience participation and a more engaging environment.” Meng also shared his key conclusions from the conference. “As evidenced by the larger conference this year, nuclear is indeed growing fast. Future work is still essential though, especially when focusing on the younger generation of engineers and researchers who will need to eventually succeed the older generation. Another personal takeaway is the importance of communication and presentation in general. Perceived confidence and momentum are huge components. In believing in one’s own ability, one actively improves it—a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts,” he stressed.
Richard Meng delivering his thesis
Razieh and Richard, congratulations on your well-earned awards!
For event recap and photos of the UNENE Annual R&D Workshop 2024, visit the UNENE website.