Nuclear engineering and radiological sciences are concerned with the direct technological use of atomic and subatomic particles. These applications have become an inseparable part of much of modern technological life: smoke detectors, nuclear power reactors, nondestructive evaluation of turbine blades, hardening of artificial hip joints, treatment of radioactive waste, medical CT and PET imaging, treatment of cancer using radiotherapy-all of these rely on the direct manipulation and measurements of parts of atoms or their emitted energy. These are the kinds of technologies that nuclear engineering and radiological sciences encompasses.

The Undergraduate Program in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences program leads to the Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree-B.S.E.(N.E.R.S.).

Topics Studied

The nuclear engineering and radiological sciences curriculum provides students with an education in mathematics, fundamental modern physics, engineering and problem solving in nuclear energy systems, including:

• Radiation transport and reactor physics: Study of neutron and photon interactions with matter and ways to control the processes.
• Advanced nuclear reactors: Development of Generation IV nuclear energy systems for the 21st century.
• Fuel cycle and safety analysis: Evaluation of safety of nuclear power plants and the development of environmentally sustainable fuel cycles for nuclear energy systems.

The program also provides opportunities for students who are interested in using radiation and subatomic particles in environmental, biomedical, industrial and scientific fields. Educational opportunities for these students include learning about:

• Radiation safety: Health physics, the protection of people and the environment from radiation in medical, industrial, and nuclear power applications.
• Environmental sciences: Environmental impact of the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear waste disposal, and decommissioning of nuclear facilities.
• Medical physics: Radiation diagnosis (nuclear medicine and diagnostic radiology) and treatment of cancer and other diseases (radiation therapy).
• Radiation measurements: Development of advanced radiation detectors and medical and industrial imaging systems.
• Radiation effects on materials: Study of the deleterious effects of radiation on engineering materials and applications of radiation to enhance material properties.
• Plasma materials processing: Utilization of plasmas (charged gases of separated electrons and ions) in industrial settings, such as in the etching of computer chips.

Research Opportunities and Scholarships

Programs have been established in the Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences Department which allow students to interact with faculty and graduate students on different research projects. Currently, there is a Research Opportunity Program for junior- and senior-level students.  If a first or second year student is interested in a research opportunity, they should contact the Academic Advisor.  In addition to the research opportunities, scholarships are also available for all levels (first-year through completion of a B.S.E.) for those students interested in this program of study.

Facilities

The Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences occupies the Mortimer E. Cooley Laboratory, which contains departmental offices, faculty offices, classrooms, and several of the labs listed below.

Departmental Laboratories

Other laboratories of the department are housed in the Phoenix Memorial Laboratory and the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME) Building. The Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences has a number of special facilities and laboratories that allow students to get hands-on experience with systems that manipulate matter at a fundamental level. These include:

• Bioelectromagnetism Laboratory
• High Temperature Corrosion Laboratory
• Intense Energy Beam Interaction Laboratory
• Irradiated Materials Testing Laboratory
• Materials Preparation Laboratory
• Metastable Materials Laboratory
• Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory
• Nuclear Imaging and Measurements Laboratory
• Nuclear Measurements Teaching Laboratory
• Plasma Science and Technology Laboratory
• Plasma Teaching Laboratory
• Position-Sensing Radiation Detector Laboratory
• Radiation Effects and Nanomaterials Laboratory
• Radiological Health Engineering Laboratory

This program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012, telephone (410) 347-7700.