NSUF Research Helps Support Student Researchers

At the Ohio State Nuclear Reactor Laboratory (NRL), graduate and undergraduate engineering students are finding work exposing them to unique research right in their own backyard. The Ohio State University has its very own research reactor, the only one in the State of Ohio, so students can have hands-on experience without travelling to another facility.  There are many opportunities for students to work side-by-side with professors and researchers at the reactor or nearby labs supporting research at the reactor. 

Ohio State graduate student Matthew VanZile has found that research opportunities at the reactor have given him the experience and hands-on-knowledge unique to an academic research facility like the NRL.  “I have really gained a lot.”  Matthew commented.  “When I began working as a research assistant at the NRL, I had been away from the nuclear industry for several years.  The staff was very helpful in tasking me with appropriate assignments and projects that challenged my abilities and increased my knowledge in a wide variety of areas.   My overall experience at the research reactor, and the nuclear program in general, has been incredibly rewarding.” Matt spent 6 years in the U.S. Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program, and is currently finishing his Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering at Ohio State. For his research, he has been designing, constructing and testing a high temperature furnace for in-pile sensor evaluation as well as building a fast neutron beam line facility.

Through Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) Rapid Turnaround Experiment awards, the NRL has collaborated with researchers from across the country to continue to advance the understanding of irradiation effects in sensor and sensor materials in support of the mission of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy. Additionally, in the latest round of funding, NRL was one of only three university recipients in the DOE’s NSUF program receiving Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research (CINR) awards, and the only recipient to receive two CINR awards. These two CINR awards bring NRL’s total to three and over $850,000 in funding.

“DOE awards that come to the NRL are part of a competitive process. Students supporting these projects have access to advanced and unique research in nuclear energy,” said Dr. Lei Raymond Cao, Director of the Nuclear Engineering Program at The Ohio State University and of The Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Laboratory. “Through exposure to different types of instrumentation, research methods and even the knowledge of our experienced researchers, Ohio State University Nuclear Engineering students are gaining valuable hands-on experience and insight in addition to leadership, problem solving, and critical thinking skills that they can take with them for life.” 

NRL is a valuable resource for student recruitment and preparation. On campus opportunities for hands-on student experience in a reactor is an increasingly rare asset in the US and is highly valued by prospective employers in government and industry. The laboratory’s unique research capabilities and mission ensures that it delivers high quality service to its customers and excellent instruction and research opportunities to nuclear engineering students.

Any students interested in becoming involved with such research should contact the director, Dr. Cao at cao.152@osu.edu.