Why this UW undergrad chose nuclear engineering to help fight cancer

Motivated by her mother’s battle with breast cancer, sophomore Freya Stratte is studying nuclear engineering to help improve radiation treatments and develop better diagnostic tools.

Originally from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, Stratte grew up visiting relatives in Madison often, and with a strong family legacy on campus—and an early love for math and science—she knew she wanted to be a Badger engineer.

“I’ve loved math and science since I was a kid. I’ve always found the way the numbers fit together so satisfying, and I knew I wanted to study engineering,” she says.

Her mom’s experience with cancer made that decision even more meaningful.

“When I was three, my mom was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer, and when I was a junior in high school, it came back,” she says.

After discovering the connection between nuclear engineering and the treatments that her mom endured during her second round of cancer, she became interested in nuclear medicine and radiation imaging. With a top nuclear engineering program and on-site research reactor, UW–Madison was the clear choice. 

Nuclear engineering students begin working with the reactor as early as the spring semester of their first year when they take the nuclear engineering intro course. Students work in groups to design and fabricate a device that measures power emitted by the reactor during operation.

“That was a very cool course because you get to use your device in the reactor while it’s operating,” says Stratte. “It was my first time seeing what it might be like to be a real engineer—ordering product and dealing with shipment delays and communications issues. It gave insight into what engineers actually do day-to-day.”

She says hands-on group projects have also refined her communication and collaboration skills.

“You have to be flexible and adaptable and learn how to compromise in situations where not everyone agrees,” she says. 

Stratte has found that flexibility is key to her academic success as well. 

“In high school, I was a very perfectionistic student. I followed a set schedule and receiving any grade below an A was terrifying. Coming here, I’ve learned to go with the flow. I might not always get perfect scores, but I’m still doing great work.”

A strong support system within her major has been essential to that growth. Stratte credits the program’s culture—and the intentional leadership of Department Chair Paul Wilson—with helping her feel supported and closely connected.

“The community here is incredible,” she says. “I don’t know if many other majors can say they feel truly known and cared for by their professors and even the department chair. It’s an incredible feeling to not just be one more student, but to know that someone actually cares about what I’m contributing.”

She has also found community through the STAR Scholarship Program which supports engineering students that demonstrate academic excellence and commitment to their degree. 

“It’s easy to get lost and feel like what you’re doing is not important when so many are also doing great work,” she says, “but Carly Andrews, our STAR advisor, does an incredible job of checking in on us and giving students shoutouts when they accomplish something.”

As a STAR scholar, Stratte had the opportunity to present an award at the annual Engineers’ Day banquet, where Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics alumni Kevin Nordt and Erik Nygaard were recognized for career achievements alongside other College of Engineering alumni.

“It was incredible to hear about their experience in nuclear,” she says. “I presented for Kevin Nordt, the CEO of Dairyland Power. He started getting into nuclear energy in the 70s which was an intensely political time for nuclear.” 

Like many people, Stratte once associated nuclear technology with disasters such as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. But that perception changed as she learned more. 

“That actually drew me in when I was researching different types of engineering,” she says. “It sounded dangerous, but I did some research and found that nuclear energy will be a very useful tool in our future—for sustainable energy, reducing carbon emissions, and it can make a large impact in diagnostic medicine.” 

Support for nuclear power is growing amongst tech companies, energy suppliers, governments, and local communities as its economic and environmental benefits become clearer. Through engaging with industry professionals, Stratte has learned how valuable her education will be. 

“I hadn’t realized how much excitement and potential there was in the industry before coming here,” she says. “It’s only continuing to grow.” 

With hundreds of AI data centers under construction around the world, the demand for reliable power is rising rapidly. Meta recently signed a 20-year agreement to purchase nuclear power from Constellation Energy, where Stratte will be interning this summer, working to maximize power efficiency in nuclear fuel systems.

She will also spend part of her summer counseling at Camp Kesem, a program for children whose families have been affected by cancer. 

“We spend all year raising money to send kids to camp for free to give them a week of fun and normalcy,” she says. “During those stressful times, it gives them a great community of other kids who understand exactly what they’re going through.” 

Driven by her personal experiences, Stratte hopes to use nuclear technology to help fight cancer and other life-threatening illnesses—turning a family hardship into a mission for positive change.

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