Jennifer Klay
It may be hard to believe, but I became a nuclear physicist by accident and a nuclear energy advocate by necessity. My story begins with my high school passion for the stars. It ends with my current passion for educating others about the need to embrace and expand nuclear energy to meet our growing electricity needs while protecting our planet and ensuring a livable future for our descendants.
Working on a Chart of the Nuclides cross stitch project, while hanging out at daughter’s Girl Scouts meeting
Exploring the heavens through a telescope as a teenager, I developed a burning desire to understand why and how the stars shine. I answered that call by pursuing a college degree in astrophysics from UCLA. While I was a student, I had the privilege to work as a summer intern at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University on a particle physics research project. That experience solidified my interest in pursuing an academic career focused around scientific research, but I was still committed to pursuing astrophysics. When my first attempt to apply to graduate school failed, I had to rethink my aspirations and broaden my search. The opportunity to study the composition of the universe a millionth of a second after the Big Bang presented itself when I became a graduate student in the Nuclear Group at UC Davis. My doctoral dissertation work allowed me to work on experiments at the intersection of particle and nuclear physics in pursuit of understanding the early universe and one of the fundamental forces of nature. Nevertheless, I found it hard to embrace my new field of study because my feelings about nuclear were influenced by my experience as a child of the 1980s, growing up under the threat of nuclear annihilation and World War III.
I became an expert in my field by working on one of the most important discoveries from the Brookhaven National Laboratory Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider’s STAR experiment as a postdoc at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and then by helping to build and operate the ALICE experiment at the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider, at the CERN laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland. Yet my apprehension about all things nuclear remained. The invisible power of radiation, the occurrence of a few prominent radiological accidents, and the connection to weapons of mass destruction made nuclear energy seem dangerous.
As a Staff Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, I turned my expertise with the detectors used in high energy nuclear collisions to building a new project that would employ the same tools to study neutron-induced nuclear fission. Fission is the fundamental process that powers all nuclear reactors. The goal of this research was to reduce the uncertainties on the measured fission probabilities in order to improve our models of the nuclear fuel cycle. This would enable us to better design advanced reactors and maximize efficiency while minimizing waste. Asking questions and seeking answers with fundamental science were my first steps toward embracing nuclear energy.
When I brought my research to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2008 as a professor in the physics department, my husband and I moved from Berkeley to the beautiful central coast of California. I recall our realtor disclosing the location of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in Avila Beach as though it were a liability, rather than a local asset. We received our official emergency planning packet and notice of the annual county-wide siren testing as part of our welcome to the area. Who wouldn’t feel some sense of concern about DCNPP in the face of that attitude?
We settled into our new community and started our family here, with the birth of our daughter in 2008, followed by twin sons in 2011. Around that time, I was introduced to Heather Hoff through a mutual friend when the SLO Science Club invited me to give a talk about my scientific research for the general public at the PG&E Energy Education Center. Heather was our host for the event and our friendship blossomed from there. Our daughters are of similar age and our shared interest in science and engineering precipitated a dialog about our perspectives on nuclear energy. She had been prodding and asking questions throughout her tenure at Diablo Canyon and was just beginning to embrace the benefits of nuclear energy. As a scientist, I am trained to examine the evidence and draw conclusions based on the facts. Our conversations encouraged me to take a second look at the need for nuclear energy technology and to rethink my long-held negative opinions. The evidence was and is clear: nuclear is the safest, most reliable, least environmentally harmful, energy source ever invented. Our discussions revealed our shared view of the importance of protecting the environment for our children’s future. We also agreed that humanity needs much more abundant, reliable, clean energy to lift all people out of poverty.
Physic and atomic-themed donuts
While my perspective shifted and I changed my mind about the need for nuclear energy to power our modern world, I was content to remain an arm-chair advocate and not yet called to be an active voice for change. Heather and Kristin invited me to join their newly founded organization, Mothers for Nuclear, in 2016. After our initial meeting, I began to look for ways that I could contribute to the conversation. I gave a presentation about nuclear energy to a class at Cal Poly, SCM 360: Selected Environmental Issues of California's Central Coast, a sustainability-focused course examining several inter-related environmental issues affecting California's Central Coast region. The role of technology in creating/mitigating environmental problems was a central theme of the course and Diablo Canyon provided a case study for students to explore. With Heather’s help, I organized a tour of DCNPP for members of the Cal Poly Women in Physics student club. That opportunity, to go inside the plant and see first-hand the source of nearly 10% of California’s electricity, convinced me that this awesome resource needed to be celebrated and protected from the forces aligned against its continued operation.
I entered at design for a utility box painting contest at Cal Poly and we were selected!
Despite those early actions, I have to admit that my journey from passive observer to vocal advocate was a slow ramp. The release of the United Nation’s IPCC 6 report in August 2021 is what ignited my sense of urgency and made my involvement in the nuclear advocacy movement a necessity. In looking for the global leaders that we need to help arrest the worst effects of climate change, I realized that it was incumbent upon me to become one of the leaders who would speak up and advocate for nuclear energy. Since then, I have been much more active, giving talks, writing OpEds and letters to the editor, speaking in favor of nuclear energy at public hearings, creating public pro-nuclear themed art, and sharing the positive message of Mothers for Nuclear with as many constituencies as possible. I am proud of the work we have done to raise awareness of the need for nuclear energy and thrilled that our efforts helped bring about the reversal of the decision to close Diablo Canyon prematurely. While we celebrate this achievement, there is still a long journey ahead. I am honored to join the board of this incredibly impactful organization, lending my scientific expertise and personal experience to advance the mission and achieve our vision.
Homemade signs to advocate for nuclear energy and Diablo Canyon during rallies
As I move forward in my role as a board member, I will continue my professional role as a professor and chair of the Cal Poly SLO physics department, investigating the secrets of the universe through my research while also spending time advocating for nuclear energy as a vital component of our fight against climate change. I am passionate about education and look forward to helping others grow their awareness and re-think their opinions about nuclear energy. I hope that I can lead by example, following in the footsteps of one of the very first Mothers for Nuclear, Marie Curie, who eloquently said, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”