Ziviello was a summer research fellow during the summer of 2023 at the Brookhaven National Lab, Nonproliferation and National Security Department. His work focused on developing a code structure to assist in applying Spot, an autonomous robot, to nuclear non-proliferation efforts.
Provide a brief overview of your internship experience.
My project focused on the development of a code structure to assist in the application of Spot (an autonomous Boston Dynamics robot) to nuclear non-proliferation efforts. The project’s primary objective was to craft a modular code framework, facilitating the enhancement of Spot’s core abilities and revealing Spot’s potential to augment current safeguards technology. Along with this project, I was given the opportunity to participate in a Nuclear Safeguards training course, where I played the role of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspector in conducting inspections of several declared nuclear facilities.
What was the most valuable part of your internship?
The ability to learn from and work with the professionals at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL), and more specifically, the Nonproliferation and National Security (NN) Department, has been extremely valuable to me.
How did your academic experience at W&J prepare you for your internship?
My instruction as a physics and dual degree major prior to this internship was incredibly helpful when it came to the technical aspects of my internship. Learning about modular code structures and nuclear science at W&J certainly helped me in this role. Furthermore, I am continuing this internship in the fall, which is largely attributed to the soft and hard skills I developed at W&J College.