Patricia Eng has over 20 years of experience working toward the safe use and disposal of radioactive materials in the United States through several positions at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Before going to the NRC, she spent eight years working in industry. She spent four of these eight years at Westinghouse Hanford, where she worked on construction of the Fast Flux Test Facility, investigated the viability of U-233 as a proliferation-resistant fuel, and developed a prototype low-level waste volume reduction system (RADTU). After Westinghouse Hanford, she worked as a stress analyst at two other companies: Advanced Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Project for Garrett AiResearch and Sargent and Lundy studying nuclear power plant pipe stress.

Eng's responsibilities in her current position in NRC's Rulemaking and Guidance Branch include developing agency policy for regulating commercial uses of radioactive materials in the U.S. A recent project required collaboration with her counterparts at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to solicit public and stakeholder input regarding the disposal of mixed waste—materials that contained both radioactive and hazardous products. Mixed waste comes from a variety of places, including power plants and other industrial facilities.

"Right now, there are two different sets of regulations for disposing of mixed waste: NRC's and EPA's. This can make things difficult and confusing for people trying to properly and safely dispose of mixed waste. We are working with the EPA to clarify and simplify the regulations for the safe disposal of mixed waste. First, we are getting ideas from industry and the public. We really want to make the regulations better," Eng said. Other accomplishments in her current position include working on a new method for decommissioning NRC-licensed facilities such as nuclear power plants, and working to streamline NRC procedures.

Eng has also spent her own time gathering and studying demographic and attitudinal data from female and male engineers. She served as the Statistics Chair for the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) for three years. "When I started the national study for SWE in 1993, I knew very little about running surveys. When I finished, I had done landmark research, written many magazine articles, and ultimately testified before Congress on the subject of women in engineering," she said. In 2002, Eng studied and wrote articles about a segment of the survey data on Asian engineers.

In addition to the completion of this study, she says, "I am also proud of another accomplishment in my career." In 1989, the NRC awarded her the Meritorious Service Award for Resident Inspector Excellence, an award given to inspectors permanently assigned to a specific power plant where they inspect all aspects of plant operations for safety and compliance with federal regulations. Eng was the first woman to receive this award.

"In my field, I believe the best career path is to first work in industry to gain experience and then work in government during mid-career to understand how regulations work. Working in the field as a first step also provides excellent background for creating policies and regulations that make sense. With the cumulative experience of field work and government regulatory projects, a person has career choices—one can either stay in government or move back to industry."

"Students really should take the FE exam in their final year or immediately after graduation. I took it five years after graduating and had to take a refresher course in order to recall the information I learned in college. I did it, but it was tough."

Career Path