Working as a research assistant for Engineering Technology Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratories, U.S. Department of Energy, under contract: Lockheed Martin Energy Systems. Y-12 U.S. Department of Energy Defense Programs assignments include manufacturing and reworking nuclear weapon components, dismantling nuclear weapon components returned from the national arsenal, serving as the nation's storehouse of special nuclear materials, and providing special production support to programs. Another mission of long standing is the support of other federal agencies through the Work-for-Others program. A more recent focus, implemented through the Oak Ridge Centers for Manufacturing Technology (ORCMT), is to apply unique expertise, initially developed for highly specialized military purposes, to a wide range of manufacturing problems to support the capabilities of the U.S. industrial base. Y-12's expertise includes concept development, design and specification capabilities, and an ability to build prototypes and configure integrated manufacturing processes.
Dr. Allison, mentor Target Vessel Target Vessel

While at Y12, my research included the investigation of characteristics of a Spallation Neutron Source. Our goals were to determine the nature of the target cavity which contained liquid mercury during its interaction with a 10^13 proton pulse having energies of about 1 GeV. The pressure and temperature of the mercury, along with the strain on the cavity, were determined.
Investigating Thermal Shock
With the use of various sensing equipment, a neutron spallation target was studied via experiments performed at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. The goal is to determine the characteristics of the target container and cavity which contains the liquid mercury. The sensing equipment developed by the Photonics and Measurement Systems Group within Engineering Technology Division includes fiber optic strain sensors, phosphor temperature sensors, and high sensitivity fiber optic diaphragm pressure sensors. The pressure and temperature of the mercury, along with the strain on the cavity, were measured during interaction with a 10^13 proton pulse having energies of 1 GeV.