Three universities launch nuclear education consortium

Three universities are coming together to meet the emerging need to fill gaps in the nuclear workforce by developing microcredentials and immersive training tools that bring nuclear education to a broader group of students.

Arizona State University, Purdue University, and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville announced they have launched the New Nuclear Academic Consortium.

According to David Rosowsky, senior advisor to the university president at ASU, the consortium is designed as a decentralized but coordinated alliance.

"The three universities can also work collectively on federal funding opportunities, industry partnerships, and national workforce needs," he said.

The consortium plans to invite additional research universities to join over the following 6-12 months. These programs could adopt or augment consortium-built microcertificates for their undergraduate students or pursue jointly funded research, according to the announcement.

Combined expertise: While planning the New Nuclear Academic Consortium, the universities identified and proposed a Purdue-ASU initiative to build interactive digital twins of Purdue's research reactor, PUR-1.

Purdue would contribute data, physics models, and expertise associated with PUR-1, along with its regulatory and licensing experience. ASU would contribute digital-twin expertise, immersive-learning technology, and the capacity to host and distribute virtual training experiences at scale.

Rosowsky described the project as "an example of how the model is intended to work."

"The goal would be to make aspects of PUR-1 accessible to students at institutions that do not have their own research reactors and to explore how high-fidelity simulations could complement conventional hands-on training," he said.

The universities: The consortium concept originated at ASU, which has established online and technology-enabled educational programs. This year, ASU will be launching three to five undergraduate microcredentials, each expected to consist of three courses. They are intended to offer nuclear fluency for students in areas such as mechanical, civil, electrical, materials, and systems engineering.

According to Rosowsky, the working subject areas include "advanced reactors and small modular reactors; nuclear systems and electric-grid integration; nuclear lifecycle, safety, and infrastructure; global nuclear security and safeguards; artificial intelligence, nuclear engineering, and digital twins; and cyber-physical security and critical-infrastructure protection."

Purdue is home to a nuclear engineering program and the PUR-1 research reactor. It is the nation's first and only facility licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a fully digital safety and control system.

"Through the New Nuclear Academic Consortium, we have an opportunity to combine Purdue's unique experimental and regulatory capabilities with the complementary strengths of ASU and UT to create a new model for nuclear education," said Stylianos Chatzidakis, assistant professor at Purdue and director of the Nuclear Engineering Radiation Laboratories. "Our goal is to give students meaningful exposure to real nuclear systems and hands-on advanced digital and cyber-physical technologies, so they are prepared not just to design the next generation of reactors, but to safely deploy and operate them at scale."

UT's nuclear engineering department offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and research opportunities connected to the nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory. According to the consortium announcement, there are currently more than 150 nuclear-related companies within 50 miles of Knoxville.

Brian Wirth, head of the department of nuclear engineering at UTK, said, "While we have seen substantial growth in our on-campus student population and the establishment of a new minor in nuclear power engineering, this consortium will support the needed training requirements to grow the nuclear workforce."