Student Energy Tech Team to Compete Nationally

April 12, 2024–EPHRAIM, UT – A team of students from Snow College has been selected to compete in the EnergyTech UP National Pitch Event in Austin, TX on April 15, 2024. Under the leadership of Professor Bryant Jones, the team was chosen to compete from 225 teams representing 117 schools nationwide. The event, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Technology Transitions, encouraged teams to identify high-potential energy technology, assess its market potential, and create a business plan for commercialization.

The competition was a natural fit for a group of 11 students working under Professor Jones. The team has been conducting research to help move forward the development of groundbreaking research: the molten salt reactor, which has the potential to revolutionize the energy industry. Researchers worldwide are working on this technology, but the process is slow. Jones and his students developed a way to speed up that process by using computer simulations to measure thermodynamic properties in the salt compounds. Their business, “Computational Molten Salt Research Company,” will consult with research firms by taking their proprietary salt compounds and providing them with the thermodynamic data they need for NRC approval. This data can take years to extrapolate, however, Jones and his team have found a way do it in a matter of months.

Professor Jones is excited that his team was selected to compete, and is proud of the work they have done. He said, “Our two-year school is doing groundbreaking research and is competitive in a nationwide university competition. We are contributing to technology that is going to completely revolutionize the world.”