Donald Berni's plan seemed like a simple one: earn his chemistry degree from Lander, then transition into the role of a high school chemistry teacher.
Fate, as it often does, had different ideas, and Berni soon found himself being wooed by a world-renowned design and engineering firm to train operators of four new nuclear power reactors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Berni enrolled at Lander following a 33-year career as an expert in nuclear energy that included serving on U.S. Navy nuclear submarines and with the Savannah River Site. It was after being downsized from the Savannah River Site that he decided - along with encouragement from his wife, Karen - to pursue his dream of becoming a chemistry teacher.
In the college classroom, Berni was in his element. He was a member of the National Academic Honor Society and the American Chemical Society, and the recipient of the Western Carolinas Section of the American Chemical Society Outstanding Senior Award. He graduated from Lander in 2016 with a 3.87 grade point average.
"I had some college experience (mostly negative) while working with the Savannah River Site," he said. "By far, my experiences with Lander were much better. I found that the relationships between Lander faculty and students are genuine, and that you truly earn your grade."
Shortly after graduating, Berni was hired to teach chemistry at Greenwood High School and simultaneously led a chemistry lab at Lander. But in early April 2017, his life dramatically changed at age 61.
"A representative from Atkins Global saw my LinkedIn profile, called me and asked, 'How would you like to go to the Middle East?' I was stunned by the fact they called me; I had not reached out to them."
Atkins Global NS, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, had secured the contract for construction of nuclear reactors, and they needed someone with a specific set of expertise to teach the operators about chemistry in a nuclear reactor and the necessary steps to ensure protection from radiation. During their online search, they knew Don Berni was their man.
Just like that, Berni went from being a full-time high school chemistry teacher/part-time college instructor to being a senior commercial nuclear instructor at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, the UAE's first nuclear power station, near Abu Dhabi.
"Even though I had more than 30 years of experience with nuclear energy, it was my Lander degree that made the difference in them selecting me," Berni explained. "Atkins has a stellar reputation, and they feel that it's always best to have a degreed person in supervisory jobs."
After going through a training session with Atkins Global NS's office in Columbia, Berni arrived in Abu Dhabi on February 4, 2018.
"It has been rather easy to adjust to the UAE way of life," he said. "The biggest shock to my system is the staggering, ultra-modern skylines of Abu Dhabi and Dubai; they truly look like cities of the future. For example, standing at just under 830 meters tall (that's 2,722 feet; more than half a mile), the Burj Khalifa is not only the tallest building in Dubai, it's the tallest on the planet. The rocket ship-like design makes this striking skyscraper look as if it's going to take off any minute."
Beyond the architecture, though, Berni has been most impressed with the Emirati people. "They are such wonderful people, and welcome you to their country with open arms. They're also intelligent and work very hard," he said. "One of the things that really made me admire them is their attention to detail while performing the smallest of tasks. In this desert environment, they still plant flowers, palm trees and shrubbery to add beauty to their environment. Their sidewalks and streets are built by laying various colored bricks in beautiful designs by hand without cement - just sand packed between the bricks. They take extreme pride in their country and in everything that they do."
As for his regimen, Berni's workday begins early. "I get up at 4 a.m. and take the 5:15 a.m. bus to the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, usually a 45-minute trip. I teach, develop and revise chemistry and systems training materials and attend meetings until 5:45 p.m., when I get on the bus for the return trip home to the city of Ruwais."
As for progress with the nuclear power station? "Construction for all four reactors is on-time and under-budget," Berni reported. While his current contract is due to end in December, there is a strong possibility it could be extended for another year.
This story is featured in the Fall 2018 edition of Lander Magazine. Read more at www.lander.edu/magazine.