Julie Ezold facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Julie Ezold
Ezold at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2018
Born	Julie Graudons
Alma mater	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute North Carolina State University, Raleigh
Known for	Tennessine
Scientific career
Institutions	Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Julie Ezold (born Julie Graudons) is a very talented engineer who works with nuclear energy. She works at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a big science center. Julie helps lead a project called the 252-Californium Campaign. She was also a key person in discovering a new chemical element named Tennessine.

Julie's Early Life and School

When Julie was young, she loved to dance! She took lessons in ballet, tap, and jazz. She also learned to twirl a baton in Schenectady, New York. In fifth grade, she even won an award for her dance exams.

When she was in high school, Julie spent a summer learning about nuclear chemistry. This was at the University of Lynchburg. After high school, she went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. There, she studied nuclear engineering, which is about how to use the power inside atoms. She finished her first degree in 1990.

Julie then went on to get her master's degree in nuclear engineering. She earned this in 1992 from North Carolina State University. For her studies, she used a special machine called the High Flux Isotope Reactor. This machine is located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Her Amazing Career

Julie Ezold has worked at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory since 1992. That's right after she finished her advanced studies!

One of her first jobs was looking at something called Iodine-129. She used a method called Neutron Activation Analysis. This helps scientists find out what tiny amounts of elements are in something.

Working with Special Elements

Today, Julie manages the Californium Program. Her job is to make special, rare elements. These include 252-Californium, 249-Berkelium, and 252-Einsteinium. These elements are called transuranium elements because they are heavier than uranium.

Did you know that just a tiny bit of Californium-252 can do amazing things? One microgram (which is super small!) can send out 2 million neutrons every second! Julie's work focuses on these special elements and how we can use them.

Discovering Tennessine

In 2010, Julie was part of a team that made a huge discovery. They found a brand new element called Tennessine! This was a very exciting moment for science.

To find Tennessine, Julie studied how two other elements reacted. These were Berkelium-249 and Calcium-48. Her recent work tries to make the best way to produce even more of these special elements.

Awards and Special Recognition

Julie Ezold has received many awards for her important work.

• In 2002, she won the US Department of Energy Defense Programs Award of Excellence.
• She was also recognized for her efforts to teach others about science. This was at the UT-Battelle Awards Night.
• In 2009, she received a special award from the American Nuclear Society.
• She also won the Patricia Bryant Leadership Award. This award is from the Women in Nuclear group.
• In 2018, Julie was named one of the "Top Engineers" by Marquis Who's Who. This was for her many contributions to nuclear engineering.

See also

In Spanish: Julie Ezold para niños