Nuclear engineering student wins innovation award for machine learning research
8/26/2021
By Tessa M. Pick
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Matthew Durbin, a nuclear engineering doctoral candidate at Penn State, was recently awarded a first-place prize in the 2021 Innovations in Nuclear Technology R&D Awards for his research paper, “K-Nearest Neighbors Regression for the Discrimination of Gamma Rays and Neutrons in Organic Scintillators.”
Sponsored by the United States Department of Energy, the Office of Nuclear Energy and the Office of Nuclear Fuel and Supply Chain, the Nuclear Technology R&D Awards recognize undergraduate and graduate student publications that demonstrate innovative research in the field of nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear technologies, according to the website. The program was designed to support higher education and facilitate collaborations among students and U.S. Department of Energy representatives.
Durbin competed in the Material Protection category in the open competition portion of the program.
“It was truly an honor to win and be recognized for my work, especially considering the caliber of awardees this year and in years past,” Durbin said.
Durbin’s paper, which was published in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A in January, focuses on using machine learning to analyze detected radiation signatures and distinguish between two different types of particles.
“While machine learning has been used in this space before, our work provides a new approach more compatible with traditional analysis and applicable to a variety of systems,” Durbin said.
Durbin’s research was designed and executed in conjunction with Marc Wonders, who graduated from Penn State in 2020 with a doctoral degree in nuclear engineering, and their two advisers, Azaree Lintereur, assistant professor of nuclear engineering, and Marek Flaska, associate professor of nuclear engineering.
“The nuclear engineering department not only encouraged and supported the work but also facilitated an environment and set of resources in which work like this could blossom,” Durbin said.
As part of the first-place prize, Durbin was awarded $3,000 and given the opportunity to further his collaborations by presenting his publication at the 2021 American Nuclear Society’s winter conference.
“Many programs at the national level and beyond are extremely supportive of students,” Durbin said. “Applying for competitions like these provides not only the possibility of awards and recognition but also valuable experience in disseminating research to a broader audience.”
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Matthew Durbin, a nuclear engineering doctoral candidate at Penn State, was recently awarded a first-place prize in the 2021 Innovations in Nuclear Technology R&D Awards. IMAGE: PROVIDED BY MATTHEW DURBIN
