ESP Biography



DEREK SUTHERLAND, MIT Junior: Nuclear Engineering and Plasma Physics




Major: 22 and 8

College/Employer: MIT

Year of Graduation: 2012

Picture of Derek Sutherland

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I am double majoring in both Nuclear Science and Engineering and Physics, and am concentrating my efforts on plasma physics and fusion energy. I am currently working at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, and have held summer positions at a few labs around North America during the summers involving hybrid approaches to fusion energy production. I am passionate about my work and love presenting the exciting field of nuclear energy to students in Middle and High School, because that's when I became interested in this subject matter, and only wish I could have known more about it at that time. I also am interested in many other branches of science, such as high-performance computing and quantum mechanics.



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

S4609: Energy: The Nuclear Perspective in Spark! 2011 (Mar. 12, 2011)
Energy. One of the most important quantities of science, which our civilization is using more of every day. The impending shortages of energy, as well as environmental considerations of fossil fuels are driving us to develop alternative energies to push our world into a brighter future. One particularly promising form is nuclear energy. What is the physics behind nuclear energy? What are the theoretical limits of nuclear energy production? What are the environmental considerations? What are the scientific applications of nuclear energy? In this course, we will explore nuclear energy on a fundamental level, the reason for why nuclear processes are more energetic than others, and how to think of energy production conceptually. Topics covered include nuclear fission and thermonuclear fusion, the physics that drive these processes, and the current status of these fields today. If you would like an exciting overview of nuclear energy without being overwhelmed by too much mathematics, this is the class for you!