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To help U.S. university and colleges stay at the forefront of science education and research, the Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology University Program assists universities in the operation of research reactors and in the performance of other educational activities. Direct support is provided to educational institutions in 27 states.

Oregon State University

Washington State University

The program includes the following elements:

University Nuclear Infrastructure (UNI). This program, newly formed for FY 2003, brings together several program elements, including the new Innovations in Nuclear Infrastructure and Education Initiative, supporting the increasingly vital university nuclear engineering infrastructure; program elements include:

• Innovations in Nuclear Infrastructure and Education (INIE). This program, established in FY 2002, strengthens the Nation’s university nuclear engineering education programs through innovative use of the university research and training reactors and encouraging strategic partnerships between the universities, the DOE national laboratories, and U.S. industry.
  
  
• Reactor Fuel Assistance. The Department provides fresh fuel to, and takes back spent fuel from, university research reactors. There are currently 28 operating university research reactors at 27 institutions in the United States. Many of these facilities have permanent fuel cores and therefore do not require regular fuel shipments. However, DOE supplies approximately a dozen universities with fresh fuel and shipments of spent fuel as needed. These reactors are unique and irreplaceable assets for technical education, and are used for a variety of research, educational and training purposes.
  
  
  Missouri University Research Reactor Core
  
  
• Reactor Upgrades. The Department provides assistance to universities to improve the operational and experimental capabilities of their research reactors. Grants are provided to the universities to purchase equipment and services necessary to upgrade the reactor facilities, such as reactor instrumentation and control equipment, data recording devices, radiation, security and air monitoring equipment, and gamma spectroscopy hardware and software. Each year 20-25 universities receive this assistance.
  
  
• Reactor Sharing. Through this assistance effort, the Department enables universities with reactors to "share" access to their facilities with students and faculty at other institutions who lack such a facility. The reactors are made available for use in research, experiments, material irradiations, neutron activation analysis and training, and for facility tours and other educational activities.
  
  

Nuclear Engineering Education Research (NEER) Grants. The Department re-established, in FY 1998, a competitive peer-reviewed program to provide grants allowing nuclear engineering faculty and students to conduct innovative research in nuclear engineering and related areas. The awards run from one to three years and are granted in eight separate technical areas related to nuclear engineering: reactor physics, reactor engineering, reactor materials, radiological engineering, radioactive waste management, applied radiation science, nuclear safety and risk analysis, and innovative technologies for next generation reactors, space power and propulsion, or radiation sources. This type of research is vital to the academic community to help promote excellence in nuclear engineering and provide resolution to issues confronting nuclear engineering in general. In FY 2002 the Department announced 20 new awards. In its first five years this program has awarded 91 grants

DOE/Industry Matching Grants. The Department of Energy and participating companies provide matching funds, up to $60,000 from each side, to universities for use in funding scholarships, improving nuclear engineering and science curricula, and modernizing experimental and instructional facilities. Currently, 35 utilities and private companies match DOE’s funds. Typically 20-25 universities receive funding each year.

Nuclear Engineering/Health Physics Fellowships and Scholarships to Nuclear Science and Engineering Programs at Universities. The Department provides tuition, stipends, and practicums to outstanding graduate students studying nuclear engineering and health physics and undergraduate scholarships and practicums to students pursuing a nuclear engineering course of study to ensure that our country will have an adequate supply of trained nuclear scientists and engineers. As an element of this activity, the University Partnership Program pairs minority institutions with institutions offering a nuclear engineering degree to enable more minorities to enter the field of nuclear engineering. To date, 11 institutions have partnered in this innovative program with several more anticipated during FY 2003.

Radiochemistry. The Department awards grants to support education activities in the field of radiochemistry in the United States. Radiochemistry is linked to several national priorities including medicine, energy and national defense. Three new awards were made in FY 2002.

Nuclear Engineering and Science Education Recruitment Program. This program is designed to increase the number of university students entering a nuclear engineering course of study by developing a core curriculum to instruct science teachers in nuclear science and engineering topics.

Summer Internships at National Laboratories. The Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology offers summer internships in technical areas related to nuclear engineering through the University Reactor Fuel Assistance and Support program at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, the Argonne National Laboratory-East and West and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to undergraduate and graduate students. Each student works with a mentor and receives living expenses and a salary for the 10-12 week program.

International Student Exchange Program (ISEP). The ISEP sponsors U.S. students studying nuclear engineering to spend 3-4 months abroad doing research at nuclear facilities in Germany, France, and Japan. During FY 2002-2003, this program plans to expand to include Argentina, Brazil, and Russia. These six countries will send their students to the U.S. for reciprocal internships at DOE national laboratories.

Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, NE-20
19901 Germantown Road
Germantown, Maryland 20874-1290
E-Mail: NE Webmaster

Last Updated: 1/26/03