CRANE, Ind. – For Peter Wu, there’s no such thing as a typical work day at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane). In many ways, that’s why Wu enjoys his job as an electrical engineer within the Radiation Sciences Branch.
Some people strive to establish a routine – they find comfort in the familiar. But Wu enjoys the challenge of constantly learning about and working on new things.
“Engineering is all about problem solving,” Wu said. “If we can solve or even partially address a problem through the completion of a project or testing effort, that’s a success. For me, actually doing the radiation test and seeing the data and the effects – that’s been the most fun part. It’s quite exciting.”
Wu has grown into a bright engineer during his 13 months at NSWC Crane, and he doesn’t see himself leaving anytime soon. To understand where Wu is going, though, it’s important to understand where he’s been.
Asian-American Roots
Wu’s parents met and married in Taiwan, and later moved to Connecticut in 1960 so his father could attend college in the United States. After earning a PhD in Philosophy from Yale University, Wu’s father accepted a job as a philosophy professor at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Wu’s mother started a real estate business near the UW-Oshkosh campus and opened a gift store in the local shopping mall.
They eventually became U.S. citizens in 1972. Wu was born and raised in Oshkosh with his three siblings and later attended the University of Wisconsin, where he earned a psychology degree in 1995.
Wu’s parents are now estranged, but Wu remains close with his mother, who lives with him in his Bloomington home.
“My mother is proud to be an American, and proud that I’m working for the Navy,” Wu said. “She often tells me, ‘You don’t know what it is like in other countries. This is the best country in the world.’”
Teaching in Japan
Wu had always wanted to spend time living in Japan so he could study Japanese history, language and culture. In 1995, Wu moved to Tokyo, where found work as an English language teacher for businessmen and children.
Wu initially planned to live in Tokyo for only a year or two, but he wound up staying for over a decade. Wu knew he’d eventually return to work in the U.S., but he had no immediate plans to do so at the time.
The Impact of Fukushima
That all changed on March 11, 2001, when a massive earthquake – 8.9 on the Richter scale – unleashed a huge tsunami that crashed through Japan’s eastern coastline. The earthquake and tsunami led to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, one of the worst nuclear events in history.
“I lived about 150 miles away, but we still felt it,” Wu said. “I can still remember dishes flying off the shelves in my apartment.”
Immediately after the earthquake, the active reactors at the nuclear power plant automatically shut down their sustained fission reactions. However, the tsunami disabled the emergency generators that would have provided power to control and operate the pumps necessary to cool the reactors. The insufficient cooling led to three nuclear meltdowns, hydrogen-air explosions, and the release of radioactive material.
“I was reading online how the Japanese workers grabbed and hotwired a bunch of car batteries to power up their control systems,” Wu said. “It was bad, but without their efforts, it would have been much, much worse.”
Wu already had plans to leave for the U.S. on March 14 to visit family, but the Fukushima disaster served as the impetus for Wu’s permanent return to the states. It also contributed to his interest in radiation and the effects it causes.
An Interest in Nuclear Radiation
Once back in the U.S., Wu quickly enrolled at the University of Illinois, and he graduated with an electrical engineering degree in December of 2016.
Wu’s interest in radiation stuck with him through his schooling at Illinois, so he was intrigued when he was hired at NSWC Crane and assigned to a position within the Radiation Sciences Branch.
“If I had to choose a branch to work in, it would definitely be this one,” Wu said. “I’ve always liked computers and electronics, so I knew I wanted to do work in hardware development or integrated circuit design. The Fukushima earthquake also made me interested in nuclear radiation and radiological effects. I’m extremely fortunate to be doing work in these areas at Crane.”
In his current role, Wu works to ensure that strategic defense systems are equipped with radiation-hardened microelectronics to keep them from being disabled as a result of radiation from a nuclear event or a nuclear exchange. Radiation hardening is the act of making electronic components and systems resistant to damage or malfunctions caused by ionizing radiation.
“Even in the short time that Peter has been at NSWC Crane, he has excelled in providing resourcefulness, initiative and leadership,” said Matt Bedel, NSWC Crane’s Radiation Sciences Branch Manager. “Peter has stepped into a project lead role for an important customer, and he has provided valuable feedback on improving processes within the branch. He is an extremely valuable teammate that is regularly sought out for his participation in projects.”
Wu is also currently assisting with a testing effort to determine if some of the industry’s new semiconductor foundry processes have the potential to produce radiation-hardened microelectronics.
“Ultimately, these electronics will be needed for the next generation of strategic deterrence and strategic defense systems,” Wu said. “We’re a small part of an incredibly large, complex mechanism to create these strategic systems. We deal with things at the component level, and we need to prove out a specific quality of that component, whether it’s radiation hard or not. Everything has to go right for the system to work.”
A Future at Crane
Wu doesn’t come from a military family, so it took him a little time to adjust to life at NSWC Crane. That adjustment was made easier, however, by his co-workers, who welcomed Wu to the team with open arms and willingly offered their help whenever he needed it.
“When I first started, Mr. Bedel told me that he didn’t expect me to know anything about radiation effects on electronics. It’s a very niche field and not many schools have classes on it,” Wu said. “Generally in school, you learn about how things are constructed – not how they are damaged or destroyed.
“I’m quite happy at Crane. I’m part of a great group of co-workers that are very helpful and very generous with their time. They’re world-class experts in their fields.”
Wu knows he still has a lot to learn, but he’s eager to take on any challenge that’s thrown at him. Wu is committed to doing everything he can to help support the nation’s warfighters.
“I think we all need to do something purposeful in life, and engineering has given me an opportunity to do that," Wu said. "I feel very privileged to be involved in such meaningful work at Crane."
NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with focus areas in Expeditionary Warfare, Strategic Missions and Electronic Warfare. NSWC Crane is responsible for multi-domain, multi- spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability to today’s warfighter.