Welcome to our 2025-2026 program year. Our plan for this program year is for a mix of social events, in person Initiation and virtual meetings. We will also have our Undergraduate Research Symposium in February.
Iota Sigma Pi: Aurum Iodide Chapter
Announcement for the Undergraduate Research Symposium 2026
The Aurum Iodide Chapter of Iota Sigma Pi - the National Honor Society for Women in Chemistry - hosts a bi-annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. We invite any woman-identifying undergraduate student who has been involved in research to present a poster or deliver an oral presentation at the symposium. The symposium is an excellent opportunity for students to present to fellow students as well as an assortment of Iota Sigma Pi members, including members from industry and academia, in a welcoming environment. This year’s symposium will be in person at Lewis University on Saturday, February 21st.
We invite you, as a member of the Aurum Iodide chapter, to attend the symposium to support the students and help select the outstanding presentations.
Guests can register for the event here (deadline Friday, February 13th)!
https://forms.gle/LqQVCBtQbhYsJehn6
Meeting Date and Time: Saturday February 21, 2026
Location: Lewis University, AS-158-A, One University Parkway, Romeoville, IL 60446-2200
Speaker: Dr. Laura Jamison, Argonne Laboratories
Title: Non-proliferation and Performance Optimization for Nuclear Fuels of Potential Use in Future Research.
Abstract: The Material Management and Minimization Program is focused on conversion of civilian research and test reactors using highly enriched uranium (HEU, ≥ 20% U-235) to low enriched uranium (LEU, <20% U‑235) fuels. The RERTR Program is managed by the Office of Material Management and Minimization in the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Work regarding the development of advanced LEU fuels and evaluation of material property information for safety analysis for research reactor conversion will be presented. The fabrication and irradiation testing of U-Mo dispersion fuel, a potential fuel to be used for conversion of European high power research reactors will be discussed, as well as material property analysis done in support of safety analysis for the conversion of the five remaining HEU-fueled research reactors in the U.S.
The submitted manuscript has been created by UChicago Argonne, LLC, Operator of Argonne National Laboratory (“Argonne”). Argonne, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science laboratory, is operated under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. The U.S. Government retains for itself, and others acting on its behalf, a paid-up nonexclusive, irrevocable worldwide license in said article to reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute copies to the public, and perform publicly and display publicly, by or on behalf of the Government. The Department of Energy will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan. http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Laura Jamison is a member of the Fuel Development and Qualification Department at Argonne, where she supports nuclear fuel development and performance efforts. She supports the U.S. High Performance Research Reactor (USHPRR) and European High Flux Reactor (EUHFR) conversion programs. The multi-laboratory USHPRR effort is focused upon converting the five remaining HEU fueled research reactors in the U.S. The multi-laboratory USHPRR effort is focused upon converting the five remaining HEU fueled research reactors in the U.S. (MITR, MURR, NBSR, ATR and HFIR).
The multinational EUHFR collaboration is focused upon conversion of the Belgian BR2, French RHF, French JHR, and German FRM-II reactors. Dr. Jamison’s work also involves non-proliferation and performance optimization for fuels of potential use in future research and test reactors. She received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Material Science Program within the Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics Department studying irradiation effects in Silicon Carbide, specifically ion irradiation.
Please take a moment to pay your yearly dues. You may do so by visiting the National website https://www.iotasigmapi.org/
Interested in becoming a member of Iota Sigma Pi? To find the application criteria and apply for membership, visit the National website at iotasigmapi.org and go to Membership (https://www.iotasigmapi.org/become-a-member).