Rain Bowman, 19, studies nuclear engineering at Georgia Tech

AT just 19-years-old, Rain Bowman is ecstatic to have started her first year at the prestigious Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) studying nuclear engineering. She was the only person from TT to be accepted into the programme this year.

Bowman, who is from Tacarigua and graduated from St Joseph's Convent, St Joseph, earlier this year, said she has always been fascinated by nuclear energy.

She spoke to Newsday during an e-mail exchange last week from Georgia.

“The idea that one of the smallest things in the universe, the atom, can hold the power to revolutionise the world is what drew me in. The nuclear field is definitely a dark horse, but it is evolving every day and I want to be a part of the generation that pushes it forward and gives the world access to this technology, especially coming from the Caribbean where nuclear science is not widespread.”

She said it was an easy decision to choose to go to Georgia Tech, as it is currently ranked fourth in the US in engineering. She said it was also one of the few schools in the US that offered a degree in nuclear and radiological engineering.

“The world class facilities paired with the incredible opportunities for work and growth at the university made this an easy decision for me. I feel incredibly grateful for this opportunity. There are no words to describe how long I have worked towards this and how many people have been instrumental to my success. This milestone belongs just as much to my parents, family, teachers and friends as it belongs to me.”

Bowman said she had been studying towards this path for years, having taken mathematics, additional mathematics, English language, English literature, biology, chemistry, physics, and French at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level and physics, chemistry, pure mathematics, and the mandatory communication and Caribbean studies at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) level.

She was also involved in many extracurricular activities from an early age, as she said her parents thought it was an essential part of her development.

“I danced ballet for 13 years and played the piano for ten. I was a house captain at SJCSJ during my last year, one of my most meaningful commitments. I was the director of my school’s interact club and head of the astronomy club. I was also a part of the National Youth Parliament two years ago, among many other things that I participated in alongside my studies.”

Bowman said she is still deciding what field she will pursue with her degree, as there were many options.

“There are so many different possibilities: healthcare through medical imaging and cancer treatment, zero carbon power generation, research, space exploration and so much more.

“As of right now, it depends on where the opportunities open up. Based on the field I choose, and the doors available at that time, I'm willing to follow those opportunities wherever in the world they take me.”

She said nuclear energy is an option for TT as there had been recent developments in the field.

“Given our size, large-scale nuclear power plants like what we see around the world today are not practical. However, the recent development of small modular reactors, or SMRs as they are usually called in the industry, make the possibility of nuclear energy in smaller nations like ours a very real possibility. SMRs are compact and produce a lot less energy than the traditional plants, which makes them better suited for the island's smaller energy demand.”

Bowman also addressed the perception of danger many people associate with nuclear energy. She said she believed it stemmed from a lack of public education.

“People really haven’t realised how much safer nuclear technology has become. For small islands like TT, nuclear energy would mean safer, smaller reactors that could be sized up once there is the energy demand. It’s also incredibly important for us as a nation to start paying attention to our energy security, which is a part of TT’s Vision 2030, and stop relying so heavily on oil and gas.”