The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently awarded the University of Idaho with a grant totaling $434,048 to encourage the growth of nuclear engineering and community education.
College of Engineering Professor Vivek Utgikar said the NRC grant also aims to help younger faculty by providing support for their research and teaching activities so that they can better serve their schools and community.
David Betts | Argonaut
University of Idaho College of Engineering Professor Vivek Utgikar said an NRC grant will provide support to younger faculty.
Utgikar said UI”s Nuclear Engineering program is a graduate program that accepts students with degrees in nuclear engineering and related fields, such as mechanical engineering, chemical engineering and materials science. The program offers several specialty tracks, including thermal hydraulics, safeguarding of materials and the study of the nuclear fuel cycle.
The program is based in Idaho Falls because of its close proximity to the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), a nuclear engineering research and development laboratory run by the Department of Energy, Utgikar said.
Utgikar said the NRC sent a solicitation to numerous universities this spring, and the UI submitted a proposal in response to the solicitation. Utgikar said practically every university in the U.S. with a nuclear engineering program applied for the grant and UI was one of only 15 universities that were selected to receive NRC grant money, putting it alongside universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“It”s a competitive proposal. A lot of universities apply for it, so we happened to be selected – our proposal was strong enough for them to award us this grant,” Utgikar said.
Utgikar said two faculty members are already planning to use the grant to upgrade their lab facilities. He said one plans to use the funding for equipment related to materials characterization and the other for new computers that will be used to better model and simulate nuclear reactors to increase safety.
Faculty members are going to use the funding to create new courses and to travel to conferences and present their research. The university”s nuclear research program has already begun hiring new faculty members, including a new director, Richard Christensen, whom Utgikar describes as one of the foremost experts in the field.
“We are looking to then increase our course offerings, increase our research and be recognized as one of the leading schools,” Utgikar said. “Where not only students will come from around the country, but we”ll be able to attract researchers and students from around the world.”
As the world”s population grows, Utgikar said the development of nuclear energy is important to maintain a high standard of living and fulfill the heightening demand for energy.
Utgikar said nuclear is one of the most promising primary energy sources because it can both provide for the energy needs of growing populations as well as do it in a in a carbon-neutral way.
“In order for nuclear to grow, obviously there are a lot of development activities that must take place, and our university is in a better position to play an increasing role because of this faculty development grant,” Utgikar said.
Ryan Locke can be reached at [email protected]