Building Bridges For A Nuclear Energy Future

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Nuclear experts gathered in Idaho Falls for two weeks in July to share knowledge with more than 50 early career nuclear engineers. They converged for the Modeling, Experimentation and Validation (MeV) School, which was hosted by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Idaho State University (ISU).

 

The MeV School brought together experts in thermal hydraulics, reactor physics and safety analysis from national laboratories, universities and industry. Organized by an international board of experts, the MeV School provided topical expertise to the students through a dialogue of experience.

 

"It continues the discussion for extending the range and applicability of nuclear in the United States," said Temitope Taiwo, an academic dean of the school from ANL.

 

The dialogue aimed to bridge the gap between the current knowledge base and nuclear energy's future. Nuclear experts served as lecturers and mentors, sharing their experiences with students.

 

"The school was particularly successful in promoting interactions among the students themselves and between students and others," said Robert Youngblood, MeV mentor and lecturer from INL.

 

With 14 different countries represented, students came from different nuclear backgrounds. MeV's international board of experts organized student groups with this in mind, as well as their technical specialties and the stage of their careers. This diversity in the groups created a web of knowledge that could be used to face future demands and challenges of nuclear energy. Organizers gave each group a predetermined question to tackle as a team. The groups then presented the issues and wrote a position paper.

 

"Through the many interactions with those at the school, there is a vast amount of knowledge," said Wadim Jaeger, a MeV student from the Institute for Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH, a prominent European science and engineering research institution. "I'm taking home those techniques that are appropriate for my field—thermal hydraulics—and more."

 

With professionals experienced in thermal hydraulics, reactor physics and safety analysis on hand, the students received answers to their questions directly. During his group presentation, Jaeger posed some questions that arose during his work with the other students. They were immediately answered in the expert panel session that followed.

 

"Of course, the nuclear community is a small one," said Jaeger, who will submit his Ph.D. thesis in October. "It is important to have opportunities like the [MeV School] to exchange ideas and information."

 

Others agreed.

 

"The MeV School was excellent," said Taiwo, "even the mentors and professors benefitted from participating."

 

The MeV School brought together many topical experts who communicated questions and ideas just as the students had. This collaboration, not just with the students or mentors, but with all those who participated, created a conversation of the past principles and the future challenges of nuclear energy.

 

"It was a great experience for me, both professionally and personally," said Hyung Lee, a MeV mentor and lecturer from Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory. "I learned a lot and enjoyed immensely all the interesting interactions and discussions that I had with the students as well as the leading experts in the field, both past and present, who were at the MeV Summer School."

 

The MeV Summer School will take place in Idaho Falls again next year before being held in Chicago in 2011. For information about next year and more of this year, visit www.MeVSchool.org.

 

Source: Idaho National Laboratory