Nuclear and Radiological Engineering at UC
Nuclear Engineering is concerned with the application of nuclear reactions and radiations for useful proposes. Although natural radioactivity and x-rays have been studied by scientists since the beginning of this century, nuclear engineering is usually thought of as beginning with the first successful self-sustaining neutron chain reaction accomplished by Enrico Fermi and his coworkers in 1942. Since the 1950's, nuclear engineering has undergone intense and rapid development, with the primary interest centering about the economical extraction of energy from the fission reaction in a nuclear reactor. This goal has been achieved and commercial power reactors are now generating more than one-fifth of the electrical energy consumed in the United States, and are producing an increasing fraction of the electrical power used around the world. The Nature of Nuclear Engineering
Other aspects of nuclear engineering are also the subject of both vigorous research and significant practical applications. The industrial applications of radiopharmaceuticals are widespread and increasing. Radioisotopes also have widespread use in biological science tracer studies. Nuclear radiation and radioisotopes are widely used in the medical sciences, and Medical Physics is now a recognized medical specialty. The need to assure safe use of nuclear radiation for diagnostic and therapeutic medical applications, the safe handling of radioactive materials in power plants, and evaluation of the natural and technologically-enhanced radiation background has led to the development of the Health Physics specialty. A major area of research is now related to Environmental Radiological Assessment. Controlled nuclear fusion offers the possibility of another nuclear power source for the 21st Century.
By its nature, nuclear engineering combines aspects of several engineering disciplines with material science, chemistry, nuclear physics, neutron physics and applied mathematics. It is , therefore, well suited for the engineer with interests in applied science or the scientist interested in nuclear applications.
Employment opportunities in nuclear activities range from positions with nuclear power plant utilities through research appointments in National Laboratories, hospitals, consultants and other research institutions. Currently, many job opportunities are available at Department of Energy and their contractor facilities to assist in the site restoration and cleanup activities. An important future need for persons with advanced training in health physics and radiological engineering will involve environmental remediation in the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe as a result of the vast levels of contamination and occupational radiation exposures now being revealed due to past defense facility operations. Because of the highly technical nature of the field, there has been a strong demand for persons with advanced degrees in nuclear engineering.
Cincinnati is located close to numerous organizations engaged in nuclear activities. The Fernald Environmental Management Project and the Mound Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy are both located in the Cincinnati area. The National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health, located in Cincinnati, is conducting research to study the long-term health of workers at Department of Energy facilities throughout the United States who may have received radiation exposure as a result of their jobs. Also, easily accessible are the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, the Davis-Besse Power Station east of Toledo, the Perry Nuclear Power Plant near Cleveland, and the DOE Uranium Enrichment facilities near Portsmouth, Ohio and Paducah, Kentucky. Argonne and Oak Ridge National Laboratories are also both within easy driving distance.
In summary, since the first man-made sustained nuclear chain reaction in 1942, nuclear technology has grown to tremendous proportions to meet the needs of a growing society. Starting out with the prime thrust of nuclear power, nuclear technology has rapidly expanded to fulfill a spectrum of needs in industry, the medical profession, and the research community. The nuclear engineering program at the University of Cincinnati (UC) has followed a similar path. Since its founding in 1957, the program has grown and developed to fill the needs of society for energy, health, and related support-system engineering. It is now an internationally-recognized training ground of quality nuclear engineers, health physicists, and medical physicists.
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