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Forget helps advance computational capabilities, expand student research options in NSE’s CRPGMIT’s Computational Reactor Physics Group (CRPG) supports leading-edge research across the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, providing new simulation and modeling capabilities for development and refinement of nuclear reactors. So why does the group’s co-leader, Associate Prof. Benoit Forget, counsel his researchers to study the early days of computing for clues on how to accomplish their goals? ... more |
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CANES: Systems-oriented knowledge helps integrate fission beyond the gridWhile fission reactors are among the most intricate systems in the world, engineering them to run reliably and economically is only a starting point. Fission technology must integrate not only with the energy grid, but with society as a whole, meeting stringent safety, security, and environmental expectations with oversight from well-versed managers and policymakers. ... more |
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Zach Hartwig applies physics, teamwork to create new tools for fusion energy scienceAs an undergraduate engineering student, Zach Hartwig was introduced to the methods, procedures and practices that form an engineer’s toolkit. But, he recalls, his real interest was in “the principles the tools were built on, the fundamental physics that lay behind them.” So he switched majors and became a physicist, spending the next few years working in particle physics before joining the MIT NSE doctoral program. ... more |
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Jake Jurewicz: An undergraduate contributes to fusion reactor advancementLike many in the MIT community, Jake Jurewicz has felt a lifelong attraction to engineering. “Growing up, all I ever played with were Legos and Lincoln Logs, things that involved building,” he recalls. ... more |
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Lindsey Anne Gilman: Better boiling for more efficient energy productionFor Lindsey Anne Gilman, SM ’12, playing with bubbles is serious work. Her PhD research project, launched this past summer, concerns ways of improving heat transfer for energy production utilizing boiling water. In nuclear reactors, the formation and movement of bubbles in boiling water turns out to be a critical issue: “If instead of nice little bubbles leaving the surface of the fuel, you get a film of vapor forming, the temperature of the fuel rods can increase,” says Gilman. “When this happens, you have reached critical heat flux. The concern is that if the temperature of the fuel rods gets high enough, the structural integrity of the rods might be compromised, and even fail.” ... more |
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Spotlight on NSE Research | Michael Short spans classroom, forge, reactorMIT NSE research scientist Michael Short is an exemplar of interdisciplinary knowledge, with two Institute degrees in both nuclear science and engineering and materials science and engineering. “Interdisciplinary work is where the fun stuff is; it’s where you get to work on challenges that many people consider too difficult, or that require a broader perspective,” he says. ... more |
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Spotlight on NSE Education | Understanding and predicting materials behavior: NSE takes an interdisciplinary approachOne of the great challenges in the world of nuclear engineering is the behavior of materials under extraordinarily harsh conditions. Over time, the intense radiation, high temperatures and stresses, and corrosive environments in fission and fusion reactors alter material properties and behavior; understanding these changes is central to effective reactor design and operation. ... more |
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Spotlight on Women in NSE | Ekaterina Paramonova: A nuclear networkerEkaterina (Katia) Paramonova ’13 acknowledges starting Course 22 with some distinct advantages: both her father and grandfather work in the nuclear industry, and her Russian parents insisted on fluency in the language, opening up opportunities in another country with a well-established nuclear sector. Now this 19-year-old undergraduate is intent on leveraging her assets in some surprising ways, establishing a unique career track that intriguingly combines nuclear engineering and diplomacy. ... more |
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Spotlight on New NSE Faculty | R. Scott Kemp brings new perspectives on nuclear technology and societyAll engineering disciplines interact with society, but nuclear engineering is a special case, inexorably bound up with critical issues of our era: energy, the environment, and international security. Developing a deeper understanding of the interplay of nuclear technology and society and building these insights into new models of engineering leadership are central elements of MIT NSE’s strategic plan,and the appointment of assistant professor R. Scott Kemp marks a milestone in extending research and teaching in this area in NSE. ... more |
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Spotlight on NSE Alums | NSE alums take the helm of ANS, ASME, and NVCAIn recent months three NSE alums, Michael Corradini, Marc Goldsmith, and Ray Rothrock, have assumed leadership roles in three major professional organizations. ... more |
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Course 22 RoadmapsSo where might a bachelor's degree in NSE take you? Find your roadmap in Course 22 ... more |
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Spotlight on NSE Research | Daniel Casey: Exploring a “little star” on EarthIn 2010, after a decade of meticulous preparation, Daniel Casey and an MIT team finally ran their experiment. The world’s largest laser struck a millimeter-sized target, and in less than a second, it was all over. Casey, now a post-doctoral associate in MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, recalls, “You heard a little pop, but there was no other sight or sound in the control room.” Yet if the moment itself proved an anticlimax, the experiment has paid off in spades, yielding data that opens a window onto extreme conditions found nowhere else on Earth, and starting a new chapter in high energy density physics. ... more |
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Spotlight on NSE Education | NSE fusion program moves beyond plasma, towards practical power-plant issuesNuclear fusion is a seemingly ideal energy source: carbon-free, fuel derived largely from seawater, no risk of runaway reactors, and minimal waste issues. With the world’s energy supply chain facing intense environmental, economic, and political pressures, fusion’s appeal is growing and international collaboration is accelerating. ... more |
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Spotlight on Women in NSE | Sara Ferry: A new generation works to fulfill the promise of nuclear energyThe world of nuclear technology is in a generational transition. Many nuclear engineers and scientists were trained between the 1950s and 1970s, but entry to the field slowed in subsequent decades; NSE Ph.D. student Sara Ferry is part of a new cadre of technologists who are working to fulfill the promise of nuclear energy in a world very different from that of their predecessors. ... more |
