The Department continues to prepare the next generation of nuclear engineers and contribute to the innovation by –

• Offering a minor in health physics that is open to any campus student. For students enrolled in the department’s 5-year accelerated bachelor-master program (ABM), they can also receive the health physics minor by taking a selection of truly cross discipline courses.
• Demonstrating a technique that can determine whether bricks – the common building material – have ever been near a radiological source, and identify the specific type of source, such as high enriched uranium or plutonium. The technique is possible when there are no chemical residues left behind, and has security and nuclear nonproliferation applications;
• Seeking a highly automated management and control system for advanced nuclear reactors through a multidisciplinary, multi-organization team led by Dr. Nam Dinh – Development of a Nearly Autonomous Management and Control System for Advanced Reactors. Research funding was received through the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) Program, Modeling-Enhanced Innovations Trailblazing Nuclear Energy Reinvigoration (MEITNER), for $3,386,834.
• Shifting the focus of the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) over the remaining 2 years with more emphasis on deploying CASL technology to the US nuclear industry. Dr. Scott Palmtag will guide this evolution as the new Chief Technologist.
• Mentoring such students as Jonathan Coburn, one of only five early career scientists or engineers chosen as a Monaco/ITER Postdoctoral Fellow;
• Engaging with such alumni as Devon Gallagher & Nicholas Wilson who spoke with our American Nuclear Society (ANS) Student Chapter about co-ops, internships and work life at Dominion Energy.

More details are available in the newsletter, click here to read.