User:Graemeh319/sandbox

J’Tia Hart is an American nuclear engineer, activist and former contestant on CBS’ Survivor.

She was the first black woman to earn a PhD in nuclear engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She was named an IF/THEN Ambassador in 2019 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Early life and education
Hart grew up in Miami Gardens, FL and graduated from Hialeah Miami Lakes Senior High School. At fifteen years old, she began undergraduate studies at Florida State University. During her time at FSU, Hart served in various leadership roles including representing the student body as a Senator which led to her nomination to the FSU Senate Hall of Fame. She crossed into the Zeta Omicron Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in Spring 1999.

Hart attended the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign  for her graduate studies earning a PhD in Nuclear Engineering.

Research
Her early research focused on neutronics, isotopic analysis and research reactor decommissioning leading to her master thesis. Her later research focused on modeling intricate relationships of the nuclear fuel cycle— using system analysis tools considering economics, security, and material supply and demand. She worked with Idaho National Laboratory and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Studies on nuclear fuel cycle economics under the Department of Energy's Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative.

Professional
Hart currently works at Argonne National Laboratory, a federally funded research and development center. Her professional career has spanned government work primarily for the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Department of Energy. Her expertise is in reactors and the global commercial nuclear fuel cycle. Most of Hart's work, spanning nonproliferation and intelligence analysis, is classified and not publicly available. She served as an executive briefer to the Secretary of Energy Rick Perry.

J'Tia is a member of the American Nuclear Society.

Entertainment
Hart (then J'Tia Taylor ) competed on Survivor: Cagayan, the 28th season the American CBS competitive reality television series, Survivor. In June 2020, Dr. Hart and other former contestants formed a group called the Soul Survivors Organization to shift how Black people are represented in entertainment. On November 9, 2020  CBS announced initiatives to increase minority representation in unscripted reality television.

Personal life
J'Tia is married with two young children.

Awards and honors
In 2019, Hart was chosen to be one of the 125 national American Association for the Advancement of Science IF/THEN Ambassadors. Ambassadors serving as a high-profile role models for middle school girls in order to inspire the next generation of pioneers in STEM.

She was named as one of Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40 for her career and community achievements in 2019.

J'Tia was selected as the Women in Science and Technology Program Initiator at Argonne National Laboratory and leads efforts to encourage and develop the full potential of women in science and technology.