Is there a Crisis in Nuclear and
Radiochemistry Education in the U.S.?
Heino Nitsche
University of California at Berkeley
and
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
ANS Embedded Topical Meeting- Isotopes for Medicine and Industry- Manpower and
Education
Anaheim, CA, June 11, 2008
Invited presentation
The AAAS Subcommittee on Energy
and Environment Report 1999
The AAAS Subcommittee on Energy and
Environment Report 1999 Study Group
The IAEA Report 2002
Assessment of the Teaching and
Application in Radiochemistry
Report of a Technical Meeting Held in
Antalya,Turkey
June 10-14, 2002
Review of 24 countries
The DOE/NSF Nuclear Science
Advisory Committee Report 2004
The Need for Nuclear and
Radiochemists
• GNEP: Nuclear power; new fuel cycle and reprocessing
developments; nuclear waste isolation and site
remediation
— Greenhouse effect mitigation
• Treatment, processing, and minimization of wastes
• Nuclear medicine, isotope production, and radiopharmaceutical research/industry
• Homeland Security and anti-terrorism challenges
• Stockpile Stewardship, surveillance of clandestine
nuclear activities, nuclear trafficking
• Maintaining national programs to ensure adequate
education in nuclear and radiochemistry and radiation
science to avert detrimental consequences to energy
supply, public health and industry
The DOE Nuclear Workforce
Skills (2002-2011)(2002-2010)
Loss of Nuclear
3: Cumulative
Figure
PNNL: Loss
of
Nuclear
Workforce
800
700
700
600
FTEs Lost
500
Retirees
400
Retirees + Attrition
300
300
200
100
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2007
2006
Year
2008
2009
2010
2010
2011
2012
Courtesy of
Prof. Sue B. Clark
The DOE Nuclear Workforce
Courtesy of Prof. Sue B. Clark
Trends in Chemistry Faculty
• Nuclear faculty in chemical science disciplines
shrinking
• Current academic perceptions:
– Nuclear physics still considered “important” in
the physics curriculum
– Nuclear and radiochemistry is perceived as
dispensible in the chemistry curriculum
• Tendency to replace retired/retiring nuclear science
faculty with faculty in other areas
• Applications of nuclear/radiochemistry, nuclear
physics appearing in engineering curricula, e.g.,
nuclear engineering
Good News in Nuclear Engineering
• Degrees in Nuclear Engineering at the Bachelor and
Master level show an upward trend since the past
several years (ORISE 2006 Survey)
• 31 U.S. Academic NE programs
— B.S. degrees: 346 in 2006 compared to 166 in 2003
— M.S. degrees up by 214 for the same time span
— Ph.D. constant at 70 per year
• This is a result of substantially increased University
funding and research fellowship programs
• Nuclear and Radiochemistry is still left behind
— concentrated efforts to increase the number of
students are mostly lacking
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Number of Faculty in Nuclear or Radiochemistry
by Institution
24 Universities: 41 Faculty
22 U.S. Univ.: 39 Faculty
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Source: ACS Directory of Graduate Research (DGRweb, 2007) http://dgr.rints.com/index.cfm
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Age Distribution of Faculty
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Source: ACS Directory of Graduate Research (DGRweb, 2007) http://dgr.rints.com/index.cfm
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Source: ACS Directory of Graduate Research (DGRweb, 2007) http://dgr.rints.com/index.cfm
The Public Image of Nuclear
Science
• NEGATIVE :Public fear of radiation and nuclear power
— propagated by “environmentalists” and the press
— fueled by Harrisburg, Chernobyl, and Tokai Mura
accidents
— scare of dirty bombs
• Some countries abandon nuclear power option
— public antinuclear behavior makes anything nuclear
prime targets
• Most activities are/were related to safety and security
— stimulates the impression that anything nuclear is
dangerous and very critical
• Research was closely related to treatment of wastes
and nothing else- GNEP may/will change this!
Nuclear and Radiochemistry is Absent in
the Undergraduate Curriculum
•
•
•
•
No “nuclear science” degrees in Colleges of Science
Some degrees in “nuclear science & engineering”
Rarely a part of general chemistry syllabi
Usually a part of comprehensive general chemistry
texts (chapter 25) -- often not taught at all
• Only an elective in a comprehensive, ACS-approved
undergraduate chemistry degree program
—increased ACS requirements in other areas of
chemistry
• Students are not informed about nuclear and
radiochemistry and never come in contact with it
—believe that discipline is not at frontier of science
and there is no job market
National Research Council Report
2007
Ph.D.s in Nuclear and
Radiochemistry Awarded in the U.S.
PhDs in Nuclear & Radiochemistry
Awarded at US Universities
Number
23.4
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1970
1975
12.6
1980
1985
Year
12.5
1990
1995
6.8
2000
Nuclear Physics vs. Nuclear/Radiochemistry
Ph.D. Graduates
• Number of chemistry & physics PhD’s decreasing since
early 1990’s
• ~ 82 PhD’s in nuclear physics per year (2000, 2001), out
of ~1,400 PhD’s in physics
• < 10 PhD’s in radiochemistry per year (2000, 2001), out
of ~ 1,800 PhD’s in chemistry
General Decline in Science
and Engineering
“In preparing Indicators 2004, we have observed a
troubling decline in the number of U.S. citizens who are
training to become scientists and engineers, whereas
the number of jobs requiring science and engineering
(S&E) training continues to grow. Our recently published
report entitled The Science and Engineering
Workforce/Realizing America's Potential (NSB 03-69,
2003) comes to a similar conclusion. These trends
threaten the economic welfare and security of our
country. … Now, preparation of the S&E workforce is a
vital arena for national competitiveness.”
National Science Board, Science and Engineering
Indicators—2004
Nuclear Science Expertise is Viewed as
Vital: Demand May Exceed The Supply
“We further recommend that training grants be
established in areas required to advance DOE’s mission
in the future, but for which the U.S. is not producing
scientists and engineers. Some of these should be in
traditional areas essentially unique to DOE such as
nuclear engineering and nuclear science. Others will be
especially useful in emerging areas like nanotechnology
and biological engineering that must grow at the
intersections of traditional disciplines”
Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (2003)
Nuclear Science Expertise is
Viewed as Vital
“…The future vigor and prosperity of American
medicine, science, technology, and national defense
clearly depend on continued development of nuclear
techniques [and applications]…”
National Research Council 1988
“… Too few isotope experts are being prepared for
functions in government, medicine, industry,
technology, and science…”
Report to the US House of Representatives, 1998
Repairing The Nuclear
Education Pipeline
Kindergarden to Grade 12
Undergraduate Students
Graduate Students
Postdoctoral Scholars
Repairing The Nuclear
Education Pipeline (K-12)
• NSAC Subcommittee on Education: We recommend that
the highest priority for new investment in education be
the creation of a Center for Nuclear Science Outreach
by the DOE and the NSF
• Effective outreach can engage the public from K-12 to
adults, e.g., space sciences, the genome project
• Stimulate an increasing national understanding of the
nuclear world that Mankind lives in, as well as an
improved appreciation of the goals and achievements
of nuclear science
• Create a dedicated resource, to be consistently
focused on developing communication and outreach
on nuclear issues
Repairing The Nuclear Education
Pipeline (K-12)
• Many efforts by organizations, national labs, interested
groups, etc.
—the message is normally focused locally, rather than
nationally
• The Center would profit from these other efforts, but
achieve its outreach goals while strengthening and
supporting these existing efforts, not duplicating them
Repairing The Nuclear
Education Pipeline (K-12)
• Creation of Center for Nuclear Science Outreach by
DOE and NSF with sufficient resources, either at a
university or a national laboratory
• Acquire a professional and dedicated staff
knowledgeable about nuclear science; K-12 and public
education; and public relations
• Achieve nuclear science community input and
feedback by the establishment of ties with the DNP, its
Committee on Education, the Division of Nuclear
Chemistry and Technology of the ACS, and the ANS
Repairing The Nuclear Education
Pipeline (Undergraduate Education)
• Undergraduate years - crucial window of time
• Re-introduce Nuclear and Radiochemistry into the basic
chemistry syllabus
—at least one week per two semesters
• Undergraduate research is of major importance for nuclear
science in maintaining/growing the graduate student
population
• Provide specific nuclear undergraduate research
experiences
— with faculty and/or DOE scientists
— some fellowships exist dedicated to all of science in
DOE labs : Summer Undergraduate Laboratory
Internship (SULI) progam
Nuclear Chemistry Summer
Schools (ACS-Sanctioned)
•NSAC Subcommittee on Education: Establishment of a third
summer school for nuclear chemistry, modeled after the two
existing schools
•San Jose State University and Brookhaven National
Laboratory– limited to 12 students each
- sponsored by DOE’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences
and Office of Biological and Environmental Research
•Steady increase of applicants
•From about 40 (1999) to more than 140 (2007)
•Approximately 70% of participants go on to physics or
chemistry graduate school, most of whom concentrate on
nuclear chemistry or radiochemistry
•Recruitment into and training of young scientists in the field
of nuclear and radiochemistry remains a very high priority for
the nuclear science community
Repairing The Nuclear Education
Pipeline (Graduate Education)
• Research is the primary mode of training for graduate
degrees in physics and chemistry
• Requires sufficient and longer-term funding
commitment
• NSAC Subcommittee on Education: We strongly endorse the
Secretary of Energy Advisory Board’s 2003
recommendation that new, prestigious graduate student
fellowships be developed by the Office of Science in the
areas of physical sciences, including nuclear science, that
are critical to the missions of the DOE
• Prestigious fellowships and training grants would serve to
attract the brightest graduate students for study in the
physical sciences, including nuclear science, in areas
critical to the missions of the DOE, providing them with the
flexibility to prepare for research in their subfield of choice
Repairing The Nuclear Education
Pipeline (Postdocoral Fellows)
• NSAC Subcommittee on Education: We recommend that
prestigious postdoctoral fellowships in nuclear science be
established, with funding from the NSF and the DOE
• To recognize nuclear scientists early in their careers for
their accomplishments and potential, and to help increase
the visibility of nuclear science
• There are relatively few ways in which nuclear scientists
early in their careers are recognized for their
accomplishments and potential, and even fewer ways in
which this recognition extends beyond the nuclear science
community. Prestigious postdoctoral awards in other
physical sciences have served to meet both of these
challenges
It is Not Too Late To Avert a
Catastrophe….
• A foundation upon which to build still exists
(for the moment)…
— existing university programs
— ACS Summer Schools in Nuclear and
Radiochemistry
• Replace retiring faculty before they retire
— often only possible if specific sponsors
(DOE, NSF) guarantee funding of such
positions to the universities
— Nuclear Industry sponsored Chairs
— create new faculty positions in non-nuclear
chemistry departments
The European Approach
A High-level Solution is Required
• Until our political leaders and decision
makers firmly commit to nuclear science
and technology, all lower level efforts are
bandages to this urgent national problem
• The decision to truly improve nuclear and
radiochemistry science and education
has to come from Congress with a
commitment to (long-range) funding
• Educate your Senators, Congress
delegates, and the Press
Thank You for Your Attention
Thank you for your attention