A $1.4 million Department of Energy grant will fund nuclear reactor safety training and workforce development in Nebraska through a collaboration among the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Engineering, Nebraska Public Power District, Idaho National Laboratory, Southeast Community College, Asian Community and Cultural Center, and industry partners such as Orano and Kairos Power.
The Department of Energy anticipates unprecedented job growth over the next 25 years in the nuclear energy sector and recently awarded more than $49.7 million through its Office of Nuclear Energy to 10 university-led projects that will expand nuclear safety training and workforce development, noted Phil Carter, External/Community Relations Coordinator, in the College of Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in a recent post.
The College of Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln currently offers one course, “Materials for Nuclear Energy Systems,” but the new grant will add three courses to its curriculum, in which students will learn theoretical knowledge of nuclear reactors and safety, Carter noted.
The grant will also support nuclear reactor safety training, a summer youth camp at Southeast Community College and an opportunity for 10 graduate students to conduct doctoral-level research internships at the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Carter noted in the post.
In addition to new courses in nuclear engineering, the Nebraska Nuclear Reactor Safety Training and Workforce Development Program will provide industry-recognized certification in nuclear reactor safety for Husker students through the support of NPPD; internship opportunities for 20 undergraduate students at Cooper Nuclear Station in Brownville, Nebraska, for on-site, practical reactor safety training; and outreach programs through the Asian Community and Cultural Center in Lincoln aimed at inspiring underrepresented communities in Nebraska, including immigrants and their children, to explore educational pathways and future careers in nuclear energy and engineering, the post said.
