b'Nuclear Science User Facilities NSUF AND GAIN COLLABORATIONSHow John Jacksons upbringing led him to GAINJohn Jackson grew up on a dairy farmjust doing research for the sake of in North Central Washington withoutpublication, but so that something electricity or a telephone. He did hisactually changes out there. homework by kerosene lantern, andWhile the initiative is still relatively his family had to find innovative waysnew, Jackson has been working with to refrigerate their food. He spent histhe GAIN team to lay its groundwork summers driving a tractor and fixingfor years. and fabricating equipment. It was a lifestyle that primed the now actingJackson earned a bachelors degree in director of the Department of Energymechanical engineering technology (DOE) Gateway for Accelerated Inno- from Central Washington University, John Jackson vation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative forand then a masters degree in mechan-Acting Director, GAIN a career in mechanical engineering.ical engineering and a doctorate in You just had to make things work,mechanical engineering, where he he said. And thats a fundamental partspecialized in fracture mechanics, of mechanical engineering. from the University of Washington. It is also a fundamental part ofHis career at INL started with an Jacksons efforts with GAIN, whichinternship in 1996 after he finished along with the NSUF, is helping thehis bachelors degree. He came back nuclear industry remain a relevant andas a postdoctoral researcher in 2002, important part of the countrys energyand then went to work as a staff strategy by providing companies withscientist for ExxonMobil in Texas. funding and access to laboratoriesJackson credits much of his career such as the one at INL for research.success to his time with ExxonMobil, which instilled an instinct to ensure The efforts to involve industry providerapid applicability for technologies. a way to see concrete changes inHowever, the Northwest lured him nuclear energy, said Dan Ogden,back, and he returned to INL in 2006. deputy director of NSUF.Since returning to INL, Jackson has With these partnerships withworked in a variety of roles. In 2015, industry, we can really help open thehe was tapped to help coordinate five door for innovation that might lead toworkshops across the country that implementation, Ogden said. Theinvestigated two questions: Why was whole purpose of the GAIN initiativethe U.S. nuclear industry failing, and is to help drive innovation. We arentwhat could be done to address it? 26'