The Danny Nichols and Dennis Huddleston Memorial Scholarship

2021 Scholarship Winners

Sheena Lewis
Northern New Mexico College
Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science & Associate Degree in Radiation Protection

Althea Denlinger
University of New Mexico – Los Alamos
Associate degree in Computer Science
Belen Huerta
Northern New Mexico College
Associate of Applied Science in Radiation Protection
N3B and its parent companies, Huntington Ingalls Industries and BWXT, along with critical subcontractor partners Longenecker & Associates and Tetra Tech, have established a scholarship in association with the Waste Management Symposia to attract talented students from the University of New Mexico – Los Alamos and Northern New Mexico College into the environmental and radioactive waste management industry.

The Danny Nichols and Dennis Huddleston Memorial Scholarship Fund is set up to support degree-seeking students at UNM-Los Alamos and NNMC.

ELIGIBILTY REQUIREMENTS

  • Student is pursuing technical degree in environmental science, pre-engineering, biology, chemistry or other science fields.
  • Student is full-time with at least 15 hours and a minimum GPA of 3.3
  • Be a U.S. citizen
  • Student completes a 250-350 word essay on “How I want to use my college degree in a career.”

The scholarship’s focus is on students pursuing STEM degrees to encourage them to enter the radioactive waste management, environmental remediation or energy industries.

About Danny Nichols and Dennis Huddleston

DANNY NICHOLS

Danny Nichols’ career spanned more than 30 years of Department of Energy and commercial experience in safely and compliantly managing hazardous and radioactive waste disposition operations.

Prior to his unexpected death in 2019, Danny was manager of the N3B-Los Alamos Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Program and a respected leader within BWX Technologies, Inc.

Following his education at the University of Tennessee and Georgia Institute of Technology, Danny led technical successes at numerous sites, including Los Alamos, Paducah, Oak Ridge, Idaho Falls, Portsmouth and Sellafield.

Danny was well known for his good nature, expertise, and willingness to invest in his fellow professionals.

The scholarships being awarded in Danny’s memory are a fitting tribute to his concern for others and his contributions to the field of waste management.

Dennis Huddleston

Dennis Huddleston was dedicated to the idea that the environment could be cleaned up efficiently and
that waste could be managed safely, all while understanding that relationships were the key to effective programs.

For more than 35 years, Dennis worked for BWX Technologies, Inc. (BWXT) and other DOE contractors coordinating complex environmental management programs at places like Hanford, Pantex, Rocky Flats and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

Dennis unexpectedly died in 2020. He was known not just for his expertise in addressing difficult
technical challenges, but also for his ability to lead well in times of stress and uncertainty.

Dennis was as comfortable talking to fellow professionals about intricate cleanup strategies as he was explaining to the public what progress was being made at the sites where he worked.

His professionalism and good humor are still missed among those who were fortunate enough to work with him every day, and the scholarship presented in Dennis’ honor is a testament to his belief that people are worth investing in for this industry’s future.

The Scholarship is awarded in conjunction with the Roy G. Post Foundation and the Waste Management Symposia. Learn more about the Roy G Post Foundation here.  To learn more about the Waste Management Symposia here.

The annual Waste Management Symposia (WMS) international conference is held for professionals who manage radioactive and other industrial waste. WMS provides an open forum for discussing and seeking safe, environmentally responsible, technically sound and cost effective solutions to the management and disposition of radioactive wastes and the decommissioning of nuclear facilities to enhance the transparency and credibility of the global radioactive waste industry. Scholarship recipients were given access to the symposia program to better understand the cleanup industry on a more granular level.

The scholarships are awarded at Waste Management and the students are provided access to attend the conference.

2020 Scholarship Winners

Aaliyah Sandoval
UNM-Los Alamos

Andrew Ortiz
Northern New Mexico College
Reyes Roybal
UNM-Los Alamos