The game show pits two teams against each other to guess the top responses to survey questions about various topics. Ahead of the winter meeting, committee members surveyed ANS members on questions about working in the nuclear industry and turned those results into questions for the event.
Some questions posed at the November 19 event touched on how employees manage stress at work, how empathy can be improved in their workplaces, and what scenarios rose to a level that would justify taking unscheduled time off.
More than a game: It was all a fun, clever way to remind employees in the nuclear industry to understand and prioritize emotional intelligence during their busy careers.
Emotional intelligence refers to one’s ability to be aware of emotions they are experiencing, as well as emotions of the people around them, and using that insight to guide thinking and behavior. Psychologists say it’s often not the same as the academic intelligence of a person, but that it is very important for a successful work environment.
In their words: Matt Jasica, a nuclear engineer at Argonne National Laboratory who volunteered for the event, said it went great. It was the fourth annual Family Feud event held during ANS’s winter meeting.
“We wanted to have a fun and engaging conversation around emotional intelligence and empathy in the workplace—where we spend nearly one-third of our lives (if not more). We wanted participants to leave feeling empowered to continue these conversations and to build or strengthen personal connections in their own workplace,” Jasica said.
“We wanted to bring people together for networking and building connections under the banner of the DIA committee,” he added. “We’re a group dedicated to building an ANS where people of all backgrounds feel welcome and somewhere that nuclear professionals want to participate.”
John Mobley IV, a graduate student in engineering education research at the University of Michigan, also helped with the event. He said that during the past four years, it has “fostered greater collaboration among ANS divisions and committees while also promoting self-awareness and broader discussions around what it means to be a part of the nuclear community.”
“By connecting individuals from across generations and disciplines, it offers a fast-paced, engaging environment for learning more about what makes this community special,” Mobley added.
