Alumnus on the Front Lines of Radiation Safety

Mike Bonaventura
Class of 2011
Bachelor of Science (Honours), Health Physics and Radiation Science
Faculty of Energy Systems and Nuclear Science

"This university presented me with all the tools I needed to succeed in my field," says Mike.

After starting in UOIT's Computer Science program, Mike quickly found that it wasn't for him. He looked at other options and chose "the most difficult and interesting area I could find – Health Physics and Radiation Science." This program proved to be the right fit for Mike. "I'm a scientist at heart and maybe a bit of an engineer too. I love to problem solve and this field is always changing, always growing."

After graduating, Mike worked as a Laboratory Specialist at UOIT for Professor Anthony Waker. "As I took on more responsibilities and projects I made important connections with people I never would have otherwise had the opportunity to interact with."

He went on to work at Arcadis Canada as a Radiation Technician and then joined the Power Workers' Union at Bruce Power as a Safety Technician in 2016. In this role he's responsible for keeping workers under his supervision safe. "I provide radiation safety and radiation emergency preparedness technical advice and assistance to internal and external personnel," says Mike. "I support work on outage reactors, when the reactor is brought offline for maintenance."

He enjoys being on the front lines of radiation safety and says being on the floor yields a unique perspective. "I gain a greater understanding of how everything works, especially on a personnel and procedural level."

What's ahead in Mike's future? "I may top up my education one day; I kind of like the sound of 'doctor'!"