Development of a Nonproliferation Program at Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has recently expanded its teaching and research capabilities in the area of nonproliferation. With this expansion, an initial group of technical and policy experts has been formed allowing for a more diverse curriculum development. This curriculum ranges from safeguards, security and the fuel cycle to emergency preparedness and terrorism. To foster technical and policy collaboration between students in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering with the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, several nonproliferation courses are under development with no prerequisite requirements covering both the technical and policy challenges of this field. VCU is ideally suited for such curriculum development, being located a mere 100 miles south of Washington D.C., and thus being the closest university to offer a wide variety of both technical and policy courses in nonproliferation. To support the demand for nonproliferation distance learning, both departments offer online Masters of Science or Masters of Arts degrees. There are three unique nonproliferation laboratories within the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering: The Nuclear Security and Nonproliferation Laboratory, the Radiochemistry Laboratory and the Laser Spectroscopy Laboratory. These laboratories form the backbone of the technical nonproliferation research activities at VCU. The Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, housed in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, fulfills teaching and research objectives. Research topics include terrorist radicalization and ideological indoctrination and evaluations of local emergency preparedness efforts. Several undergraduate and graduate courses are relevant to this partnership, particularly those involving critical infrastructure protection, risk analysis, and the role of technology in emergency management. The wide array of research and courses, mixture of technical and policy, and the proximity to the nation’s capital with distance learning capabilities makes VCU a valuable asset to nonproliferation education.