Meet Jacob Martin, a second-year Shelton Scholar studying nuclear engineering at NC State University. Over the past year, Jacob has been engaged on campus and beyond, applying his leadership and professional skills to a vast array of opportunities, including an internship with Energy Solutions at Three Mile Island.
He’s currently working on his Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) project through the Shelton Scholars program working with data to better understand the Missouri Secondary Education Funding Formula.
We asked Jacob some questions about his Shelton Scholars experience and more. Learn more about him below.
How has being a Shelton Scholar enhanced your leadership development?
Being a Shelton Scholar has given me the opportunity to exercise different leadership techniques, while learning about some of the discrete academic philosophies on leadership. Through my PDSA and the SLC’s different service initiatives, I have been able to better understand the tenets of leadership that I take more adherence to.
What is your Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) project through the Shelton Scholars Program?
My PDSA project is an analysis of the Missouri Secondary Education Funding Formula to understand and define inherent biases in its design. In this analysis, I’ve spent lots of time gathering background information on the way that the Funding Formula works, and I’m currently collecting data from school administrators all across Missouri to understand the on-the-ground perspective of how the Formula operates.
What did you learn through your Nuclear Engineering Internship with Energy Solutions?
Last summer, I interned with Energy Solutions at their Three Mile Island Unit 2 nuclear decommissioning site in Pennsylvania. TMI is a historically infamous reactor site, due to its meltdown in the late 70’s. The nuclear industry already has a very high baseline of safety expectations, but those expectations were even higher at TMI due to the nature of its internal contamination. I was continually reminded of how my actions contributed to the safety and wellbeing of everyone else on site, and – despite being an intern – it was made continually evident to me that my work (drafting an isolation package for the Unit 2 Submerged Demineralizer System) had the ability to impact the craft workers and other site personnel. This reinforced the importance of being thorough in my walkthroughs of the Radiological Controlled Area, as well as the importance of collaborating with other people to ensure that my work is far above what is necessary to maintain a safe site environment.
What other leadership roles do you hold on campus, and how has the role helped you grow as a leader?
In my role as Treasurer, I apply for grant funding and take charge of the budget throughout the year. Because SciBridge has many technical committees, I have to be able to adjust and revisit the budget to ensure that each committee’s needs are met for the year. This can be especially difficult when the grant funding is inconsistent or variable, but it has taught me to be creative with the resources we have.
What are your favorite hobbies?
I love to run. On most days, I’ll either take the route from my dorm on Main Campus to Lake Raleigh to run the Greenway Trail, or I’ll take a quick trip to the NC Museum of Art if I’m short on time. Whenever I need to prepare for an interview or a big exam, I throw on my shoes and get going.