Mentors
The team design project constitutes a significant portion of the Nuclear Innovation Bootcamp. Throughout the two weeks, participants work in small groups on a project that will have technical and non-technical components touching upon a wide range of topics. Team members will not have expertise in most of these areas, so our mentors are assigned to groups and serve as experts from across industries to be available and answer questions as needed. There are two forms this mentoring can take: continuous mentoring and spot mentoring. Neither commitment requires attending in person as teams can use phone, email, video chat, or other remote communication methods.
We are specifically looking for experts in startups, business, nuclear technology, and innovation. We are also open to those outside of these spaces, as we believe that diverse backgrounds only enrich our participants’ experience further. Some example topic areas:
Finance
Computation
Experiment design
Thermal hydraulics
Regulation
Business plans
Licensing
Global markets
IP and Legal
Systems
Reactor physics
Safety
Operations management
Advanced reactor tech
Public Relations/Media
Continuous Mentor
Continuous mentoring is the larger commitment. These mentors are available as a resource throughout the program for a specific team. One or two mentors will work with each team to provide consistency, perspective, and guidance over the full program. As a Continuous Mentor you will have the ability to set limited hours of interaction, but we expect this to be a more engaged experience lasting the duration of the bootcamp. Past participants consider their Continuous Mentors as one of the most useful resources throughout the program and some groups have continued working with them after the Bootcamp has ended. Continuous Mentors are financially responsible for their own travel, lodging and dining needs during Bootcamp outside of NIB sponsored events.
Spot Mentor
Spot Mentors are available to one or several teams to provide feedback on a specific issue. If you have narrow expertise or are only available for a portion of the program, we recommend participating as a Spot Mentor. We expect this participation to be largely virtual and you are free to set the parameters of availability and interaction. For example, you can choose the mode of communication you prefer and provide a set number of hours throughout the week that you are available. Please remember to keep time zones in mind!