The purpose of the program is to assist in ensuring there is a healthy number of students interested in pursuing university nuclear engineering programs and related scientific courses of study. Our domestic supply of nuclear engineers continues to shrink and it is imperative that a qualified field of student be in position to replace them. University Research Reactors Reactor Fuel . Since the Atoms for Peace program when the federal government encouraged universities to join in developing new knowledge and applications of radiation science, the fuel cycle costs for university reactors were provided by the federal government. Included is the loan of uranium, fuel fabrication, shipping of new and irradiated fuel, and acceptance of the spent fuel elements.
Programs are in progress to improve fuel cycle economics by designing extended life fuel elements.
There is also interest in removing from service fuel with over two decades of operation. Reactor Sharing . The reactor sharing program must rate among the most cost-effective and successful expenditures of federal funds, making geographically distributed URRs available to many users as unique regional resources. This program allows faculty and students from other universities, community colleges, high schools, and junior high schools to utilize university reactors. This has led to research projects and lines of inquiry which might have never occurred had there not been a mechanism to access these facilities.