High costs of research and development tests in nuclear science and technology at universities has led to facility closures and insufficient funding to run experiments.
Universities have significantly reduced infrastructure and investment to support experimental research in engineering. One reason for this is that computation has become increasingly capable and provides a substitute for many experiments. However, fundamental limits on computation still require the use of empirical models and data that can only be derived from experiments. During a panel discussion at the 2014 American Nuclear Society (ANS) Annual Meeting, Per Peterson, nuclear engineering professor at the University of California-Berkley, explained that, “universities remain a critical source of innovation in experimental methods and diagnostics.” He added that they “…educate the next generation of experimentalists.”
Nuclear Energy University Programs (NEUP) at the U.S. Department of Energy funds nuclear energy research and equipment upgrades at U.S. universities and also provides scholarships and fellowships to participating students. In 2013, NEUP funded 16 infrastructure grants totaling about $5 million, with major nuclear research reactor upgrades at Texas A&M University and Pennsylvania State University. There are currently 25 university nuclear reactors that are used for research and education. Some are at risk for being shut down because of the lack of funding and support.
Continue reading at Escalating Costs for University Nuclear Research
