Year
2012
Abstract
The southeast is a highly suitable environment for establishing a series of nuclear safety, security and safeguards ‘professional development’ courses. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) provides expertise in the research component of these subjects while the Y-12 Nuclear Security Complex handles safeguards/security and safety applications. Several universities (i.e., University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), North Carolina State University, University of Michigan, and Georgia Technology Institute) in the region, which offer nuclear engineering and public policy administration programs, and the Howard Baker Center for Public Policy make this an ideal environment for learning. More recently, the Institute for Nuclear Security (INS) was established between ORNL, Y-12, UTK and Oak Ridge Associate Universities (ORAU), with a focus on five principal areas. These areas include policy, law, and diplomacy; education and training; science and technology; operational and intelligence capability building; and real-world missions and applications. This is a new approach that includes professional development within the graduate research assistant program addressing global needs in nuclear security, safety and safeguards.