Purdue gets $6M to lead consortium on nuclear energy research
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Purdue University has received a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to lead a consortium of higher education institutions to improve nuclear energy research and instruction.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, North Carolina State University, the Tougaloo College Research and Development Foundation and Ivy Tech Community College are partnering with Purdue on the effort, according to news releases from Purdue and the Energy Department. Seungjin Kim, the head of Purdue’s nuclear engineering school, will lead the collaboration.
The consortium will work to improve four existing nuclear research facilities, expand university-led research for small modular reactor and advanced reactor technologies, and develop workforce training. The initiative will provide universities, national labs, industry partners, K-12 and vocational schools, and other institutions access to university research reactors and other equipment.
The aim is to increase the capabilities of research facilities and develop programs to educate the future nuclear energy workforce, Purdue said.
Purdue also was among seven universities to receive $200,000 each for additional outreach. Purdue plans to host annual reactor events, increase the number of reactor tours, establish science teacher workshops, and develop a nuclear reactor operation and control certification course, the Energy Department said.
Earlier this year, the Indiana Office of Energy Development tapped Purdue to examine what the use of small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs, could look like in Indiana.
SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors that can generate up to 300 megawatts of power per unit, which is about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional reactors, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
A 2023 study from Purdue and North Carolina-based Duke Energy found that the use of nuclear power from small modular reactors creates a promising, carbon-free energy option for the university that should be further explored.