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News Release BOISE STATE NEWS RELEASE / October 16, 2008 Online at: http://news.boisestate.edu Boise State Receives $333,859 Grant from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for Graduate Fellowships Boise State University is one of 60 institutions this year to have been awarded a grant from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to “boost nuclear education and expand the workforce for nuclear energy.” It is the first NRC award in Boise State’s history. The 88 NRC-funded grants totaling almost $20 million will provide faculty development, university curriculum development, trade school scholarships, education scholarships and graduate fellowships. Boise State’s $333,859 grant went to the Graduate College for the creation of a Nuclear Materials (NM) Fellowship Program. Graduate College Dean Jack Pelton is principal investigator on the grant proposal, and he explained that the purpose of the NM Fellowship Program is to help develop a national work force for the growing nuclear science and engineering (NSE) industry. While Boise State doesn’t offer academic programs leading to traditional NSE degree titles, Pelton said the university offers excellent master’s programs in science and engineering that are suited to students with research and career interests in the NSE field. “I’ve felt for many years that master’s degree holders are probably the most flexible of employees since they combine strong technical skills with a typically broad view of acceptable employment possibilities. I feel confident that master’s-level scientists and engineers will be the backbone of the nuclear industry in the future,” Pelton said. “If you couple these ideas with the fact that Boise State is known for strong science and engineering master’s programs, you have a winning combination for the NRC competition.” The grant already is funding research by the inaugural NM fellows, Patrick Price and Matthew Luke, both of whom are graduate students in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Mentored by department chair and professor Darryl Butt, Price is assessing membranes for isolating hydrogen for energy including hydrogen produced by nuclear power. Mentored by assistant professor Megan Frary, Luke is working on processing nuclear fuels using spark plasma sintering. “It’s great that Boise State students have opportunities like the NM Fellowship because the faculty are working in that area, and given our connection to Idaho National Laboratory (INL), that really promotes the area of nuclear materials research,” Frary said. INL is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national science and engineering lab dedicated to “meeting the nation’s environmental, energy, nuclear technology and national security needs.” Located in southeastern Idaho on the Snake River Plain, it is home to a large concentration of technical professionals and boasts research programs on par with some of the most advanced in the world. It has been involved in nuclear reactor development and testing for more than 50 years and three years ago was declared the DOE’s lead lab for nuclear energy. Both Luke and Price have used the facility for their research, a connection that may lead to internships or careers in the nuclear field. “Idaho is a focal point for nuclear energy. It’s quite possible there will be nuclear industry here in the next five to 20 years,” Butt said, adding, “the citizens of Idaho would obviously need to be in favor of having nuclear energy in the state.” The NRC grant will fund two NM Fellowships a year for four years. Boise State’s provost said the university is committed to sustaining the program afterward in the hope of continuing to attract excellent students to a developing academic and civil endeavor. -30- Media Contact: Erin Ryan, University Communications, (208) 426-4910, erinryan@boisestate.edu Boise State University is “The New U Rising” with record student enrollment, new academic buildings, additional degree programs and a growing research agenda. Learn more at www.boisestate.edu.
Last reviewed on Thursday, October 16, 2008
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