A whopping 5% to 8% of the carbon released into the world’s atmosphere comes from the production of cement, a key component of concrete. At Oregon State University, researchers are developing numerous ways to reduce that load and related climate impacts.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING ALUMNUS FINDS OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED
Even before he graduated from high school, Bill Nicholson (’80 B.S., Nuclear Engineering) knew he wanted to make a difference for future generations. The Portland native had always been interested in the clean energy field, and, at the time, solar and nuclear power were the two most promising technologies.
Brian Woods will take the reins at the Oregon State University College of Engineering’s School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, in the conclusion of a rigorous search process. His appointment as head starts July 1.
Chris Gomez, a nuclear medicine technologist at WellStar North Fulton Hospital, outside Atlanta, was on the verge of earning his master’s degree in radiation health physics online through Oregon State University’s Ecampus. But the COVID-19 public health emergency threatened to delay the completion of his degree. It also set his professional and private lives on a frightening collision course.
Izabela Gutowska holds a mock fuel sphere used in simulated testing to support validation of Kairos Power’s pebblebed fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactor design.
Izabela Gutowska swirls the tea in her cup as she discusses computational fluid dynamics. The movement of the tea cools the liquid by transferring heat to the cup, she explains.
Nuclear Engineering Professor Wade Marcum (middle) discusses the design of the TWR® reactor with graduate students Salem Sharaf (left) and Robert Powers III.
When Lily Ranjbar, director of online programs for the College of Engineering’s School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, left Iran to pursue her doctorate in the United States, she didn’t know when she would get to return. Continuing her education in nuclear engineering at Oregon State University meant relocating thousands of miles from her family and committing to a single-entry visa.
Afnan Wajdi Bin Muhammad Nor loves going to work every day at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“I've been here for about four months and almost every week I meet people from different backgrounds and different countries,” he said. “There’s a mixing of knowledge and culture which is really exciting to see.”
The Oregon State University graduate, who completed his degree in nuclear engineering in 2019, is currently living in Vienna and working as a nuclear engineering intern.
Samuel Briggs and Julie Tucker check the leads to a device that will check for minute cracks in materials to be used in nuclear reactors.
