Amy Hixon.

• Position: NEXT GENERATION IN EDUCATION - Brief article

The summer between her junior and senior years at Radford University proved life changing for Amy Nixon. Rather than toil behind a counter or take an extended road trip, Hixon signed up for nuclear chemistry summer school.

Presented by the Division of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology of the American Chemical Society, the program is a series of lectures and labs that covers the basics of nuclear theory, radiochemistry, nuclear instrumentation, radiological safety and applications to related fields. Through special symposia, guest lectures and field trips to nearby research centers, students get to meet scientists leading innovation in the industry.

When the six-week program ended, Hixon decided to specialize in nuclear studies. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry with a double minor in forensic science and mathematics, she went on to get her master's in environmental engineering and earth science from Clemson University.

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