News Archive

Written by Hailey Coffman, Idaho State University
Edited by Johnson Aina, Idaho State University, HPS Student Support Committee

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Hailey Coffman is another exemplary student in health physics who is being recognized by the Student Support Committee. We hope that through learning about Hailey's background, education, and internship experiences, you will come to know her better.

Hailey is currently in the final year of her undergraduate study in health physics at Idaho State University (ISU). During high school and early college years, Hailey worked as a certified pharmacy technician at a local long-term care pharmacy. There, she found a love for health care and medicine but wanted to find a career that involved her appreciation of other STEM fields. She found the health physics program after failing to find a major that encompassed all the course work she was passionate about. Shortly after meeting Dr. Richard Brey, the health physics professor at ISU, Hailey began working in the Environmental Assessment Laboratory with him. There, she gained essential knowledge and expertise on instrumentation software and systems.

Currently, Hailey is working as a radiological control engineering intern at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Her initial internship project involved updating an outdated radiological characterization at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) facility. With the help of her mentor, Dean Stewart, Hailey was able to co-perform the characterization, which involved sampling and analysis throughout the ATR. She authored an updated characterization document that will be used to generate source terms for waste containers originating from the ATR. Although the characterization project is complete, Hailey is continuing as an intern with Stewart at INL. In conjunction with her mentor, she is working on several projects to update and improve aging ATR detector systems.

As an intern, INL funded Hailey's attendance at the 67th Health Physics Society (HPS) Annual Meeting in Spokane, Washington, where she was able to network with professors and health physics experts from across the nation. Additionally, she had the chance to learn about the problems and developments occurring in the HPS.

Hailey is expected to graduate from ISU in May 2023. She looks forward to continuing her education by earning a master's degree in either traditional health physics or medical physics. Outside work and school, Hailey has a passion for traveling the world. For that reason, she aspires to have a career that will enable her to travel for business both domestically and internationally. She is excited about her future education and career in the health physics field.