December 19, 2025
By Alba Garcia-Sarabia
Jenna Crawford, a fourth-year undergraduate student in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, says that pursing two majors has given her a unique perspective. She’s grateful for the variety of people she learns from and studies alongside.
Crawford is double-majoring in nuclear and radiological engineering (NRE) and civil engineering.
“My civil and nuclear professors have been amazing,” Crawford said. “I’ve formed a lot of great connections that have helped me get involved in undergraduate research, among other things.”
Originally drawn to Georgia Tech for its reputation as a top engineering school, Crawford said she was won over by its location and campus. She found that Georgia Tech offered the perfect combination of rigorous academics and a vibrant city life.
Growing up in Galloway, New Jersey, Crawford developed an early interest in engineering through her grandfather, an electrical engineer. While traveling to Philadelphia for tennis training throughout elementary and high school, she became fascinated by the construction projects she passed along the way. Watching buildings rise from the ground up sparked her interest in civil engineering and inspired her to apply to Georgia Tech.
Crawford’s high school experience further fueled her engineering ambitions. In her senior year, she took a yearlong project-based class where she had to design, prototype, and present a finished product to industry professionals.
“I decided to create a wearable shoe insole that converted kinetic energy from walking and thermal energy from body heat into electricity to power personal electronics,” Crawford said.
That project deepened her interest in energy and led her to discover Georgia Tech’s NRE major. Recognizing the field’s potential for innovation and industry growth, she decided to pursue a double major in civil and nuclear engineering.
Some of Crawford’s academic highlights include her reactor physics and structural engineering classes, as well as the international affairs courses she took while studying abroad in Japan the summer after her first year. Her favorite was INTA 3040, Energy, Environment, and Policy, in which she helped research and write a policy brief comparing nuclear policy in Japan and the United States. The paper examined how the Fukushima and Three Mile Island nuclear incidents affected the nuclear industries in both countries.
Crawford was also an undergraduate research assistant in the Laboratory for Advanced Nuclear Nonproliferation and Safety (LANNS). She started research in Professor Anna Erickson’s lab in her second year, where she worked on DT neutron thermalization, irradiation of ceramics, scintillator deformation, scintillator radiation degradation, and robotic shielding applications.
Crawford helped perform light yield measurements with scintillators and handled high radiation sources up to 54 Ci, among other things. She also worked on a project related to shielding and robotics applications of radiation detection.
“I learned a lot while being a part of this lab, and I’m very grateful to my research mentors and Professor Erickson for providing such a great space to learn and contribute to important research,” Crawford said.
Outside the lab, Crawford participates in a multitude of extracurricular activities. She’s a member of the American Nuclear Society, the American Society of Civil Engineers, Chi Epsilon (civil engineering honor society), the Society of Women Engineers, and Tau Beta Pi (engineering honor society). She also participates in Engineers in Action, a club that designs and builds bridges for underserved communities in Africa and South America.
Crawford is also an avid tennis player and competes with Georgia Tech Club Tennis, participating in multiple tournaments each semester.
“I had the opportunity to travel to Surprise, Arizona, my freshman year to compete in Nationals, and to Rome, Georgia, my sophomore year, where we placed 11th in the nation as a team,” Crawford said. “I love having the opportunity to play tennis, something I’m passionate about, in so many new places.”
Looking ahead, Crawford has accepted a position with GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy as an “Edison Engineer,” which is a two-year rotational program. She will be gaining experience on multiple teams to further her learning in nuclear, civil and other disciplines while contributing to the nuclear industry.
Crawford’s advice for aspiring Yellow Jackets is to be well-rounded and pursue their passions, such as a club, sport, volunteering activity or hobby.
“Academics are definitely important at Tech, so I would recommend high school students to work hard and keep studying,” she said. “But extracurricular activities are what will make your application different from others.”
