Oregon State University
Abbreviated Category I Proposal
Proposal Title: Renaming the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics as
the School of Nuclear Science and Engineering
Name of Institution: Oregon State University
Name of Proposing College or School: College of Engineering
CIP Number from the Office of Institutional Research:
Date of Proposal: December 18, 2014
Proposed Effective Date or Term: April 01, 2015
A. Title of the proposed instructional, research, or public service unit. For name changes,
give both the current and proposed names.
Proposed name of unit: School of Nuclear Science and Engineering
Current name of unit: Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics
The name change is requested to better represent the academic programs contained in the
Department and to bring greater visibility to the research and academic programs already
being operated within this unit. This enhanced visibility should considerably increase our
capability to recruit high quality undergraduate and graduate students into our degree
programs. Oregon State University is one of only eight (Florida, Georgia Tech, MIT, Michigan,
Purdue, Tennessee, and Texas A&M) institutions in the United States that offers degree
programs in both nuclear engineering and the general field of health physics. Only four of
those institutions, including Purdue, Michigan, Texas A&M, and OSU offer the complete suite
of undergraduate and graduate degree opportunities (B.S. M.S. and Ph.D) in both fields.
Changing the name to the School of Nuclear Science and Engineering will allow more
students to readily identify the degree programs. The proposed name more accurately reflects
the breadth of disciplines covered in our unit, including radiochemistry and Medical Physics.
The decision to rename the Department was discussed by the Department of Nuclear
Engineering Advisory Board and they fully support this proposal.
B.
Location within the institution’s organizational structure.
The Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics (NERHP) is one of the
five academic units residing within the College of Engineering at Oregon State University.
Several years ago, four of these units were reorganized into schools. At that time NERHP
only had Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics programs within the Department.
In the intervening time, the Department has added an accredited graduate program in Medical
Physics (a joint degree with the Oregon Health Sciences University), and specialization in
radiochemistry (which is accommodated through either the College of Engineering or
Science).
Figure 1. Current organizational chart for the College of Engineering. The Department of
Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics is shown at the bottom left and shaded in
grey for emphasis. Only the major organizational structures within the College of Engineering
are identified in this chart.
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Figure 2. Proposed organizational chart for the College of Engineering. The renamed School
of Nuclear Science and Engineering is shown at the bottom left and shaded in grey for
emphasis. Only the major organizational structures within the College of Engineering are
identified in this chart.
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Figure 3 Proposed organizational structure for the School of Nuclear Science and
Engineering. Only the major organizational structures are identified in this chart. Linkages to
OHSU (for Medical Physics) and Chemistry (OSU College of Science) are also shown.
C. Objectives, functions (e.g. instruction, research, public service), and activities of the
proposed unit.
The objectives of the proposed School of Nuclear Science and Engineering are to provide
students with opportunities to gain knowledge and experience in nuclear science, nuclear
engineering, medical physics and radiochemistry.
The focus of the unit is in these four
principal areas:
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
Nuclear engineering (including computational physics, thermal hydraulics, and reactor
design)

Radiation health physics (including instrumentation, radioecology, dosimetry, risk
assessment, emergency preparedness, medical health physics)

Medical physics (including therapeutic radiologic physics, diagnostic physics and
medical health physics). This is a joint degree with Oregon Health Sciences University
(OHSU)

Radiochemistry (including medical, environmental, nuclear forensics, and fuel cycle
chemistry). This is a specialization, where students may obtain degrees in NE, RHP,
and Chemistry.
Our research efforts span across nuclear engineering and science disciplines to include:
nuclear
engineering,
computational
physics,
radiation
health
physics,
radioecology,
radiochemistry, and medical physics. We’re known for large-scale thermal hydraulic test
facilities of nuclear systems including light water reactor designs such as the Westhinghouse
AP1000 and small modular reactor systems. NuScale Power Inc. got their start here and our
continued relationship provides many research opportunities for our students and faculty. Our
newest facility, the High Temperature Test Facility (HTTF) has received national attention as
we explore the possibilities of Very High Temperature Gas Reactors (VTGRs).
We’re one of the few programs in the nation offering courses in radiochemistry, in a
partnership with the OSU Department of Chemistry; our researchers are examining the
challenges of modern nuclear society such as advanced reprocessing of spent fuel, and
determining fundamental properties of actinoid and lanthanoid elements.
The newly accredited Oregon Medical Physics Program is a partnership between Oregon
State and Oregon Health & Science University to educate medical physicists at the graduate
level. As the only accredited program in the Northwest, our mission is to help build the
profession in this geographical region. Our researchers are focused on interdisciplinary
research, in one project we are applying quantum computer science to medical physics dose
calculations. We are also examining methods to improve measurement of patient dose,
through the use of nanodot dosimeters. Our faculty members are connecting with colleagues
nationally and internationally, to foster collaborative research efforts that engage our students
and benefit patients with improved treatment protocols.
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Our radioecology research means that we are one of a handful of academic institutions
nationwide that routinely study the movement of radionuclides in the environment. We have
partnered with the Savannah River National Laboratory to provide research opportunities for
students and faculty. Our students are examining new ways to sequester radionuclides and
improved methods to calculate radiation dose to the publics. Working with faculty and staff in
the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric
Sciences we have found new ways to measure and calculate radiation dose to animals and
plants. Radiation health physics researchers discovered traces of cesium from Fukushima in
Pacific Albacore Tuna, something previously thought to be impossible. While the miniscule
amounts of cesium don’t present a health concern, the trace amounts could help substantiate
many wildlife and fisheries theories about the Albacore populations.
D. Resources needed, if any: personnel, FTE academic, FTE classified, facilities, and
equipment.
The resources currently allocated to the Department are adequate for the School of Nuclear
Science and Engineering.
E. Funding sources: state sources (institutional funds- state general fund, tuition and fees,
indirect cost recoveries), federal funds, other funds as specified.
Funding for the School will come from the same sources that supply the Department of
Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics. In FY 2014 the funding sources for the
Department were as follows (Figure 3):
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Figure 3. Current funding sources for the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation
Health Physics.
F. Relationship of the proposed unit to the institutional mission.
The institutional mission is: healthy people, healthy planet, and healthy economy.
The
programmatic areas of the proposed School of Nuclear Science and Engineering strongly align
with the institutional mission.
The purpose of the name change is to align the structure of the unit with the other programs
that are in place within the College of Engineering. The nuclear engineering and radiation
health physics programs have a fifty year history within Oregon State University, although their
names and locations within academic units have changed over time.
G. Long- range goals and plans for the unit (including a statement as to anticipated
funding sources for any projected growth in funding needs).
The long-range goal for the unit is to increase the visibility of the programs that are already
present, to enhance their chance for cross-college and institutional collaboration, and to
increase their funded research. The long-term growth is expected to trend with the overall
growth in the University.
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The expertise of faculty and staff in the area of nuclear science, particularly as it applies to the
medical field is expected to result in growth in related medical physics degrees as well as
collaborative research with the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of
Chemistry, Oregon Health Sciences University, and Oregon Institute of Technology.
The enhanced visibility of the School will be used as a recruitment tool to increase enrollment
in Radiation Health Physics.
H. Relationship of the proposed unit to programs at other institutions in the state.
The unit has established relationships with Oregon Health Sciences University – through the
existence and operation of the Oregon Medical Physics Program – a joint graduate degree
program operated by OSU. NERHP also has an established working relationship with the
Department of Chemistry. Two faculty within NERHP have adjunct professor status within
Chemistry for the purpose of educating radiochemists. The Director of the Medical Physics
Program from OSU also serves as a Medical Physicist for the OSU College of Veterinary
Medicine.
There are no other programs in the state offering degrees in Nuclear Engineering, Radiation
Health Physics, or Medical Physics. However, the Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon
Tech) offers several baccalaureate degrees that align with both the Medical Physics and
Radiation Health Physics graduate programs. These include degrees in Health Sciences,
Clinical Laboratory Science, Environmental Sciences, Nuclear Medicine Technology, and
Radiologic Science. It is our intent to pursue stronger linkages with OIT to provide greater
opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students.
Faculty within the program serve as:

Technical advisors to the Oregon Office of Energy in the area of radiological
emergency response;

Members of the Reed College Reactor Operations Committee (ROC) as well as the
Oregon State University TRIGA Reactor’s ROC; and

Faculty at Oregon Health Sciences University.

Medical Physics support staff to the new radiation therapy efforts being developed
within the College of Veterinary Medicine at OSU.

Faculty within the College of Science, Department of Chemistry
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I.
If the program is professionally accredited, identify the accrediting body and discuss
how the proposed change may affect accreditation.
The three degree programs currently offered within the unit- Nuclear Engineering, Radiation
Health Physics, and Medical Physics are accredited. At the undergraduate level, the Nuclear
Engineering and Radiation Health Physics degrees are accredited through the Accreditation
Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). At the graduate level the Medical Physics
degree program (which is joint with Oregon Health Sciences University) is accredited by the
Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs (CAMPEP). All three
graduate programs are also regionally accredited through the Northwest Commission on
Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). The proposed change is not expected to impact
accreditation.
J. Other issues – impact on college promotion and tenure process.
None expected.
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