Piper Fernau

Piper Fernau is a senior in Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering (NPRE) in the
Power, Safety, and Environment concentration.
Piper currently serves as President of the American Nuclear Society. In addition to her
leadership involvement, she spent three years conducting experimental plasma-chemistry
research in the Synthesis, Plasma, Energy, and Conversion (SPEC) Lab, focusing on PFAS
degradation.
Piper became Lead Engineering Learning Assistant for NPRE in Spring 2024 and taught 20
first-year students in Fall 2024 and Fall 2025. She led her department’s ELA team and
implemented improvements across all Engineering 100 sections using departmental
feedback. She also supported NPRE for three summers through the Worldwide Youth in
Science and Engineering camps, assisting with laboratory instruction, presentations,
scheduling, and training new assistants. Across these and other service efforts, Piper has
worked to ensure all students feel welcomed and supported as they transition to campus.

This summer, she will begin her career as an Associate Nuclear Engineer at Jensen Hughes as a probabilistic risk assessment engineer.