{"id":1011,"date":"2018-10-30T16:09:19","date_gmt":"2018-10-30T23:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=1011"},"modified":"2024-07-14T21:45:28","modified_gmt":"2024-07-15T04:45:28","slug":"heather-bell-radiation-health-physics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/heather-bell-radiation-health-physics\/","title":{"rendered":"Radiation health physics student represents U.S. nuclear policy overseas"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Heather Bell is earning her\u00a0degree online while leading the Department of Energy at an\u00a0embassy abroad<\/h2>\n<div class=\"intrinsic-container intrinsic-container-16x9\" style=\"margin-bottom: 20px;\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"744\" height=\"419\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1u8KTBdCAHM?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption video-caption-full\">\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cI can really dig into each class and engage with the applied rigor and still reply to the demands of my job,\u201d says radiation health physics student Heather Bell, pictured above.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>By Julie Cooper<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Heather Bell\u2019s decision to return to school doesn\u2019t only serve her own best interests by providing a new scientific skill set to advance her career. Her expanding expertise will also result in stronger global nuclear policy and protection.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, you read that correctly. Her job is that important.<\/p>\n<p>Heather is the director of the United States Department of Energy in the U.S. Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine. There, she acts as a representative and liaison between the two governments and collaborates to ensure that projects addressing nuclear nonproliferation, energy and environmental challenges align with U.S. policy.<\/p>\n<p>She formerly held the same title in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia, and worked nearly eight years at the National Nuclear Security Administration, including three years in Beijing, China.<\/p>\n<p>Her high-level positions have required her to shoulder a great deal of responsibility, but upon incidences of radiation detection in Europe, ambassadors and decision-makers started to bring questions to her about the implications for Americans living abroad.<\/p>\n<p>It was then that she realized she didn\u2019t have all the answers. Not yet.<\/p>\n<p>With so many depending on her, Heather decided to pair her liberal arts background with a degree that would give her the foundational scientific knowledge she needed to better advise on critical issues of nuclear security.<\/p>\n<p>For that, she turned to Oregon State University.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/online-degrees\/graduate\/healthcare\/rhp-ms\/?utm_source=ecampus-news&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=radiation-health-physics&amp;utm_content=20181030\">Oregon State\u2019s radiation health physics (RHP) master\u2019s degree program online<\/a>, one of the most esteemed programs of its kind in the U.S., checked all the right boxes to elevate Heather\u2019s professional potential: a course load that would allow her to attend to the demands of her job, ties to a respected brick-and-mortar institution and a rigorous curriculum developed by <a href=\"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/online-degrees\/graduate\/healthcare\/rhp-ms\/faculty.htm?utm_source=ecampus-news&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=radiation-health-physics&amp;utm_content=20181030\">expert faculty\u00a0<\/a>who are influential in radiation detection, protection and response.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textBox\" style=\"width: 30%;\">\n<h2>An RHP degree: your ticket to a multifaceted career<\/h2>\n<p>Earn your radiation health physics degree and enter a specialized profession with career paths in environmental protection, medical care, nuclear reactor sites, national laboratories, private consulting and more.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"button\"><a title=\"Learn more about Oregon State's radiation health physics master's program online\" href=\"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/online-degrees\/graduate\/healthcare\/rhp-ms\/careers.htm?utm_source=ecampus-news&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=radiation-health-physics&amp;utm_content=20181030\">Explore career paths<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cA lot of them (Oregon State RHP faculty) work with our national laboratories and work on Department of Energy programs already, so having those connections and being able to undertake the studies while I was based anywhere overseas was the big draw for me,\u201d Heather says.<\/p>\n<p>Her classroom has traveled with her from China to Russia, from Ukraine to Washington, D.C., and even to the very campus that influenced her decision to enroll online with Oregon State Ecampus.<\/p>\n<p>Most careers dealing with nuclear energy and radiation require an advanced degree; with two education pathway options including a professional degree and a research-based science degree, Oregon State\u2019s RHP program online prepares students for a variety of advanced careers in fields such as security, national defense, medical health and safety.<\/p>\n<p>For Heather, the rigor of the program is an exciting challenge to be conquered on the road to her expanded career potential.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI probably have to work a little bit harder to dig up some background on things so I can understand it, but I\u2019ve kept pace,\u201d Heather says. \u201cThe way the classes are structured, it\u2019s never more than you can handle at once. Being able to reach out to faculty members or even my fellow classmates and ask them for help has been crucial.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now she\u2019s able to draw from not only her growing expertise but also from a greater community of learners and professionals to answer the pressing questions she\u2019s faced with on the front lines of global nuclear security.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class=\"editor-note\"><strong>Editor&#8217;s note:<\/strong> Since this article was published, Heather has completed her radiation health physics master&#8217;s degree and now works as the director and energy attach\u00e9 for the Department of Energy at the U.S. Embassy in London.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\"><\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute read<\/span><\/span>It\u2019s difficult to give people all the right answers. But she\u2019s willing to try. Heather Bell\u2019s decision to return to school doesn\u2019t only serve her own best interests by providing a new scientific skill set to advance her career \u2013 her expanding expertise will also answer important questions about global nuclear policy and protection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[673],"tags":[160,26,25,24,344],"class_list":["post-1011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-college-of-engineering","tag-distance-education","tag-online-education","tag-online-learning","tag-radiation-health-physics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/G72A7909.jpg?fit=3360%2C2240&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-gj","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1105,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/online-engineering-graduate-programs-top-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":1011,"position":0},"title":"Online engineering graduate programs earn Oregon State top 10 national ranking","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"January 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Powered by the expertise of its engineering faculty and the excellence of their students, Oregon State University has been ranked No. 9 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs. It\u2019s the third straight year OSU has appeared on the list.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Online engineering graduate programs at Oregon State are ranked No. 9 in the nation","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/online-engeering-graduate-programs.jpg?fit=744%2C496&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/online-engeering-graduate-programs.jpg?fit=744%2C496&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/online-engeering-graduate-programs.jpg?fit=744%2C496&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/online-engeering-graduate-programs.jpg?fit=744%2C496&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1633,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/navy-veteran-and-ecampus-student\/","url_meta":{"origin":1011,"position":1},"title":"From the Navy to the online classroom: An Ecampus student\u2019s journey","author":"Jordan Friedman","date":"December 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Laura Micewski, U.S. Navy veteran, started her educational journey with one goal in mind: land her dream job without missing a beat. 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When\u00a0Lily Ranjbar, director of online programs for the College of Engineering\u2019s School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, left Iran to pursue her doctorate in the United\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Oregon State Lily Ranjbar inspects a circuitboard with a colleague in a lab at Oregon State University. 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