Ciara Sivels

Ciara Sivels (born 1990) is an American nuclear engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. She was the first black woman to earn a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan. She was named an IF/THEN Ambassador in 2019 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Ciara Sivels
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan
AwardsAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science IF/THEN Ambassador
Scientific career
FieldsNuclear engineering, nuclear physics
InstitutionsJohns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
ThesisDevelopment of an Advanced Radioxenon Detector for Nuclear Explosion Monitoring (2018)

Early life and education

Sivels is from Chesapeake, Virginia.[1] She attended Hickory High School.[2][3] Sivels was originally interested in culinary arts, but took an Advanced Placement class in chemistry and became interested in science.[4][5] She completed her undergraduate studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[6] During her time at MIT, Sivels interned for Teach For America before considering a career in academic research.[2] She also served in various leadership roles at the MIT chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers.[7]

Sivels joined the University of Michigan in 2013 for her graduate studies, working on Beta-Gamma coincidence-detectors and nuclear forensics with Sara Pozzi.[2][8] Her thesis considered nuclear nonproliferation using radioxenon for nuclear explosion monitoring in collaboration with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.[9][10] She developed a new "plug and play" radioxenon detector device to improve monitoring at.[11][12] She received the first Place Poster Award US Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration University and Industry Technical Interchange in 2016.[13]

During her graduate studies, Sivels was one of three black women completing their PhD. She engaged with the Detroit Pre-College Engineering Program, supporting high school students from minority backgrounds.[14] She also founded the Women in Nuclear Engineering in Radiological Sciences group at UoM.[15][16] In 2018, Sivels was the first black woman to earn a PhD in nuclear engineering at the University of Michigan, considered the top nuclear engineering program in the United States.[17][6]

Research

Sivels joined Johns Hopkins University in 2018.[2][18] Her work at the Applied Physics Laboratory is funded through the Department of Defense, and is highly classified.[19]

Sivels is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers.[20]

Awards and honors

In 2019, Sivels was chosen to be one of the 125 national American Association for the Advancement of Science IF/THEN Ambassadors.[21][22][23] The award recognizes the work of women in science, technology, engineer and mathematics fields as part of an outreach initiative to encourage the representation of women in STEM fields. Subsequently, a 3D printed statue of Sivels was displayed on the Smithsonian National Mall in March 2022 as part of Women's History Month. [24] She was named a "Millennial to Watch" by the US Office of Nuclear Energy in 2019.[25]

Sivels was featured on a GoldieBlox episode "Draw Her Life" empowering girls in STEM fields.[26]

References
  1. Team, The Black Detour (2018-11-04). "Ciara Sivels becomes the first Black woman to earn a doctorate in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Michigan". The Black Detour. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  2. Reporter, Sam Small Daily News (29 October 2018). "Ciara Sivels becomes the first Black woman to get her doctorate in Nuclear Engineering from University". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  3. "Hickory High School Chesapeake, Virginia news". hickoryhighschool.net. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  4. "Meet The First Black Woman To Earn A Nuclear Engineering Ph.D. From Nation's Top Program". HuffPost UK. 2018-11-02. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  5. "MIT NSE: Spotlight: 2020: Ciara Sivels '13: From culinary arts to nuclear engineering". web.mit.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  6. "Paving the Way". www.jhuapl.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  7. "Sivels is Gold". STEM Is The New Black. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  8. "Ciara Sivels – Consortium for Verification Technology". cvt.engin.umich.edu. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  9. "PhD Defense: Ciara Sivels | Happening @ Michigan". events.umich.edu. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  10. "Ciara Sivels; First-Ever Black Woman To Earn A Ph.D. In Nuclear Engineering From Michigan". Women Africa. 2020-03-13. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  11. Gorey, Colm (2020-07-03). "Trailblazer in nuclear engineering reveals her unusual career path". Silicon Republic. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  12. "From culinary arts to nuclear engineering". MIT News. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  13. "Consortium for Verification Technology – Home for the Consortium for Verification Technology". cvt.engin.umich.edu. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  14. "The First Black Woman to Earn a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Michigan". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. 2018-11-20. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  15. Lewis, Philip (2018-11-02). "Meet The First Black Woman To Earn A Nuclear Engineering Ph.D. From Nation's Top Program". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  16. Griffin, Charmaine. "Blavity News & Politics". Blavity News & Politics. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  17. Ciara Sivels becomes the first black woman to earn a PHD in nuclear engineering from University of Michigan, archived from the original on January 22, 2019, retrieved 2019-01-21
  18. "Ciara Sivels Becomes First Black Woman To Earn Nuclear Engineering Ph.D. From University Of Michigan". NewsOne. 2018-11-04. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  19. "Millennial to Watch: Ciara Sivels". Energy.gov. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
  20. "Clara Sivels - NSBE". NSBE. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  21. "AAAS IF/THEN Ambassadords" (PDF). American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  22. "Sivels of Hopkins APL named as National STEM ambassador". The Johns Hopkins News-Letter. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  23. "If/Then Digital Exhibit Companion". ifthenexhibit.org. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  24. "A Striking Pose: Sivels Statue Graces National Mall". JHUAPL. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  25. "Millennial to Watch: Ciara Sivels". Energy.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  26. "Meet Dr. Ciara Sivels, the First Black Woman to get a PHD in Nuclear Engineering from University of Michigan". GoldieBlox. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
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