Development of an Undergraduate Minor Concentration in Nuclear Fission Power Engineering (EEC-Small Grants for Exploratory Research)

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

A planning grant (SGER) is sought to develop a national curriculum in nuclear fission power engineering that would serve as a certificate-based, minor concentration for undergraduate students majoring in traditional engineering degree programs. With the renewed interest in nuclear power as a key component of the nations energy portfolio, there is growing concern about the availability of engineers trained in nuclear technology in view of the very significant erosion in university nuclear engineering programs and facilities over the past two decades. Even with a rapid infusion of new resources, the time required to rebuild the necessary faculties and facilities and stimulate student interest makes it highly unlikely that conventional nuclear engineering programs can provide a flow of graduates adequate to meet the near-term needs of industry and the federal government. We propose to form a team of faculty members drawn from the leading nuclear engineering programs in the nation to develop a minor concentration in nuclear fission power engineering that colleges and universities could offer to students enrolled in conventional undergraduate engineering degree programs (e.g., mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, industrial engineering, materials science and engineering, and computer engineering). This effort would augment nuclear engineering graduates in the near-term and supplement the growth of nuclear engineering majors in the long-term. This multiple-course nuclear power curriculum would include a summer practicum involving extensive laboratory experience (perhaps at a regional university reactor facility or national laboratory) taken between the junior and senior years of the undergraduate major. This proposed nuclear-power minor curriculum would be supported by extensive computer and network resources, including nuclear code simulation packages, web portals, and technology enhanced learning for on-campus and off-campus distance education. We believe that such a program has the potential for rapidly expanding the production of engineers and scientists capable of contributing to our nations nuclear energy programs since it would draw from the large cadre of engineering and science majors rather than the small enrollments of nuclear engineering degree programs. In fact, industry has long expressed interest in hiring nuclear engineers more broadly trained in general engineering majors such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer engineering. Furthermore, this approach is particularly attractive to universities since it would allow them to respond to growing national needs in nuclear energy without the necessity of major expansion of existing nuclear engineering faculty or facilities (unlikely in the current budget climate in any event). The program would be designed to be highly transportable, and since both the content and support of the proposed program would be provided by a team of faculty members drawn from leading nuclear engineering programs across the nation, individual institutions would not have to commit additional resources to build new capabilities. In particular, this effort would intends to produce teaching tools such as course resources, web-based lectures, and software simulations that could be used at institutions that do not have access to nuclear engineering faculty. Moreover, this effort could serve as a useful model in engineering education for addressing the need for engineers trained in other highly specialized areas such as integrated manufacturing, nanotechnology, quantum engineering, and biotechnology. An undergraduate minor concentration would allow students to prepare for careers in these fields without sacrificing the broader educational experience (and market opportunities) provided by a more conventional degree program. Furthermore, by developing a curriculum and supporting materials for a minor concentration using a team of national leaders in the given specialty, colleges and universities could offer such specialized curricula without significant additional investments in new faculty and facilities. In fact, the model we propose may well represent the future of engineering education as technical knowledge continues to fragment into subdisciplinary specialties and universities face growing constraints on resources for faculty and facilities.