Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science

Dear alumni, friends and colleagues,

“Not your father’s nuclear engineering department!”

That quote, along the lines of an old car commercial, is from an alumnus I spoke with at Missouri S&T's alumni breakfast during the American Nuclear Society (ANS) summer conference. One of our current students told them about all the things that have changed in our department over the past two years, and I occasionally chimed in to add one thing or another. As the alumnus heard more about the changes since they graduated, they grew increasingly excited for our students.

We discussed how student enrollment is approaching an all-time high, faculty research productivity is booming, the reactor is being used more than ever, two new faculty members are joining the department, job opportunities are growing, our ANS student chapter won a second-consecutive national award, and we are updating Fulton Hall to make it brighter, cleaner and newer looking.

The latter surprised them as much as anything, as Fulton 227, the big lecture hall with tiered steps and whistling windows, is being demolished so that it can be completely renovated. With new labs, classrooms and student areas, you would not recognize the place. Also, even the reactor has been updated with new controls and paint, making it much more of a showcase. This is all part of changing the feel and climate in the department. As our alumnus noted, things are changing!

We are also expanding collaborations with national laboratories, attracting more industrial support and funding, and hoping to construct a microreactor facility that would be a national resource for advanced reactors. Additionally, we are engaging alumni to support our mission, empowering faculty to expand their impact in the field, funding student groups and lab experiences, and enhancing recruitment efforts.

If you are in a position to give back and support the next generation of nuclear engineers and radiation scientists, we would appreciate your help. One of the reasons our department is seeing such great success is thanks to alumni support, and we are so grateful. You may receive a call for our annual Phonathon in the near future, or you would be welcome to give through the link below:

We hope you will stay in touch with us through our social media or website and follow all of our accomplishments and activities. Also, please consider visiting campus so you can meet the current faculty and students and see things for yourself. Dropping in is welcome, but emailing Angelica Hendrix at ahendrix@mst.edu to schedule a visit is preferred so we can be sure to meet you properly.

You are always welcome to contact me!

Phone: 573-341-6294
Email: jnewkirk@mst.edu

For the second year in a row, Missouri S&T’s student section of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) has been recognized as the winner of the national organization’s Samuel J. Glasstone award.  

When summertime arrives, teenagers may spend time relaxing, enjoying the outdoors, working a part-time job at a local fast-food restaurant — or operating a nuclear reactor. That last one may sound out of place, but it’s exactly what a group of almost 50 aspiring nuclear engineers recently did while living at Missouri S&T for the university’s week-long Nuclear Engineering Camp. 

“There is a lot of attention on nuclear right now,” Dr. Kathryn Huff, assistant secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy in the U.S. Department of Energy, shared with the S&T community in October 2023. “The American public, the Congress, the president, the secretary (of energy), myself, industry, American Nuclear Society. Everybody is really going full speed ahead.”

Corie Glenn, a nuclear engineering alumna, has been interested in the field since she was a teenager, and she says she hopes more young women will realize this is a potential career path. 
 
“I understand that nuclear engineering has not traditionally been thought of as a degree for women, but we are just as good at math and science as men, and we need to own it,” she says. “Diversity of thought is so important — especially with something like nuclear power. Young women need to know that they can be awesome engineers, and this is a rewarding career path for them to consider.” 

ANS has awarded national scholarships for the current academic year  to three students in our department: Mason Darling, Landon Viers and Drew Barringhaus. Darling received the Incoming Freshman Scholarship, Viers received the John R. Lamarsh Memorial Scholarship, and Barringhaus received the Operations and Power Division Scholarship. Join me in congratulating these awesome students!

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Missouri S&T
Rolla, MO 65409
573-341-4111
1-800-522-0938
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