Scholar Stories: Kleedtke Engineering Future in Nuclear Science, A.I.
9/19/2018 11:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer, Features
By Brad Rudner
It is not uncommon for people to have their heads begin to spin a few minutes after speaking with Noah Kleedtke. They shouldn't worry, because some of the terms he uses when discussing his studies are, well, advanced.
When asked to summarize himself in his resume, Kleedtke writes, "I have extensive knowledge in nuclear radiation detection, low-temperature plasma physics and microfluidics."
Need help with any or all of those areas? This is the guy.
Kleedtke, a senior on the University of Michigan men's soccer team with a grade-point average over 3.60, will graduate in the spring with a degree in nuclear engineering and radiological sciences. It is as difficult a major as can be found on campus.
"Nuclear engineering has many parts that I don't think many people see," he explains. "Some people only see the bad, like bombs being made. The atom bomb? Nuclear engineers came up with that. But there's also the positives it provides for health and energy. There's so much more to it."
Kleedtke loved math growing up, preferring arithmetic to English and solving problems over writing papers. Right now, he is taking three 400-level courses (NERS 441: Nuclear Reactor Theory; NERS 444 Thermal-Hydraulics for Nuclear Systems; NERS 471: Introduction to Plasmas) and one 500-level course (NERS 590: Space Nuclear Power & Propulsion)
Like we said -- advanced.
Initially, he wanted to go to medical school, but nixed that idea quickly. Then he thought about becoming an astronaut, but that idea did not take either.
The class that hooked him onto his current path was NERS 250: Fundamentals of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, which deals with time dilation and length contraction. Basically, the space-time continuum -- the same concepts seen in the movie "Interstellar."
"If you're traveling at light speed to another planet, you'll get to that planet in no time," he explained. "But the people back on Earth are going to be dead by the time you get there. You age five years, the people back home are going to age 100 years. When I first learned about all that goes into time travel and space travel, it blew my mind."
In his three years on campus, he has studied in three different labs under three different professors. Over the summer, he interned at Niowave in Lansing, Michigan, helping conduct tests in a subcritical reactor and working with different instruments to detect radiation.
At this point, Kleedtke is interested in artificial intelligence and plans to pursue a doctorate in mathematics. He believes the greatest change in our society in the coming years will be centered on how humans interact and process information.
"There are different modes of communication that we won't know about until we get to that future point," he said. "A.I. can look at data and optimize reactors for the greatest potential. I'm trying to use A.I., maybe in a nuclear sense, to bring about change faster."
Outside of the classroom, his soccer-playing career was almost short-lived. Kleedtke started his career at Case Western Reserve University, spending one year on campus in Cleveland. He played in 15 matches (seven starts), scoring three goals and tallying two assists. But as the weeks and months went on, he missed home more and more.
On the advice of his father, Greg, a U-M alum, he applied to the College of Engineering and got admitted that following summer. During that time, he played with AFC Ann Arbor, a local semipro team that plays its home matches at Pioneer High School.
Kleedtke says he was not planning on playing Division I soccer. Making the jump two levels up from D-III is difficult enough, but Michigan men's soccer head coach Chaka Daley saw something. After Daley and the coaching staff watched Kleedtke train with AFC Ann Arbor, they invited him to the first day of preseason in August.
That day, Kleedtke showed up to the field wearing ripped cleats, old sweats and a random T-shirt. He admits, "I looked like a scrub."
Before long, Kleedtke was wearing the same training outfit as his teammates, earning his spot on the team. Now in his third year, he has proven to be valuable reserve, able to help the team both in the attack (as a forward) and on defense (as a fullback). He has suited up in 13 matches for the Maize and Blue, making one start.
"I had one shot," Kleedtke said. "I'm real thankful they gave me the opportunity. It was completely life-changing."
If Kleedtke could sum up his college experience, it would be about seizing opportunities. Transferring from D-III to D-I. Acing your one tryout. Parlaying lab experience into an internship.
Above all, it will give him a college degree and will set him up for a future rife with possibilities.
"The University of Michigan has taught me that if you're really interested in something, you want to learn as much as possible about it because that could be your future, your profession, something you get a graduate degree in," he said. "You don't want to be stuck in a job that's monotonous. I found my passion and went for it."
"This school has opened up a lot of opportunities for me. If you're bored here, you're doing something wrong. There's so much going on, I'm just glad to be a part of it."
