CONTE 2025 Sneak Peek

Before joining NMSU in 2013, Catherine “Catie” Brewer completed a B.S. in Chemistry at Indiana U. of Pennsylvania, a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and Biorenewable Resources & Technology at Iowa State University, and a postdoc at Rice University. She is a John Kaichiro Nakayama and Tome Miyaguchi Nakayama Endowed Professor for interdisciplinary research and education in the College of Engineering.

Dr. Brewer served as associate editor for two years and co-editor-in-chief for two years for Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews. She has also served as community program chair, technical committee chair, and other leadership roles in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). Her research interests include biomass utilization, biochar, pyrolysis, soil remediation, renewable fuels, water treatment, resilience engineering, and sustainable agriculture. She teaches introduction to chemical engineering calculations, senior capstone design, and electives related to brewing and to nuclear chemical engineering.

Blye Widmar is a Distinguished Lead Maintenance Instructor at Clinton Power Station. A graduate of State Technical College of Missouri in 2015, he immediately joined the work force as an Instrumentation and Controls technician at Clinton. He moved to the instructor role in 2017, during which he received a year of turnover time with the previous instructor.

In his tenure at the station, he was a leader of the Innovation Group, a pillar leader of NAYGN, and a three-time presenter at the Exelon Innovation Expo. He has overseen site engineering, mechanical, chemistry, and radiation protection training programs in addition to filling in as acting manager. He has travelled to several stations, both inside and outside the fleet, to help prepare for accreditation visits. He has also travelled to provide common initial training to the fleet during instructor vacancies.

He is the proud owner of an Ovation training mockup he has kept running despite the best efforts of entropy and lightning. He is the subject matter expert on five major plant systems and VISION software. Instrumentation is both a career and hobby thanks to his interest in playing, building, and repairing synthesizers. This will be his fourth time presenting at CONTE.

Michael assumed responsibility for L3Harris’ Power Systems and Simulation business’ sales more than 25 years ago. He and his team grew sales and market presence, establishing the company as the world leader in the delivery of nuclear power plant simulators. The globally envied Orchid® software brand was also developed under Michael’s leadership.

He is supported by sales professionals, a proposal development team and sales representatives globally. As the head of business development, he is often involved with defining the company’s technological needs/innovations.

Prior to his roles in marketing and business development, Michael held various positions in project management implementing both energy management and power plant simulator projects. Michael holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.

L3Harris unlocks value in training and engineering with classroom training technology, plant systems trainers, engineering simulators, full scope operator training simulators, 3D Digital Twins and training services.

John Mobley IV is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Engineering Education Research program at the University of Michigan. His research interests encompass education, training, and workforce development within the U.S. nuclear sector—particularly within the purview and framework of advanced reactor designs and technologies. He currently researches both disability studies and nuclear engineering education, focusing on topics ranging from student experiences to resource availability.

John holds five degrees from Iowa State University: B.S. in Physics with a Nuclear Engineering minor; B.S. in Mathematics with Applications; Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Education Focus); M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration; and an MBA. He has prior experience collaborating with organizations such as Ames National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Exelon Nuclear, and the Nuclear Innovation Alliance.

John is an active member of the American Nuclear Society, serving as an executive member within the Education, Training, and Workforce Development Division; Young Members Group; and Student Sections Committee. As a legally blind individual, John is passionate about ensuring that higher education is accessible and guaranteeing that all students have the resources necessary to thrive.