The excellent employment prospects in this field are shown by a 1999 survey of nuclear engineering employers. Still other nuclear engineers design equipment or processes related to plasmas - partially or fully ionized gases. Low energy plasmas are used in manufactuing materials, while high energy plasmas will eventually offer a new source of energy through nuclear fusion. A recent curricular innovation that reflects growth in broader career opportunities is the track on radiation sciences. Since the discovery of fission, a major industry has evolved in nuclear power generation.
Nuclear technology is also important in medicine for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
However, the importance of nuclear energy lies in the future. Development of fast breeder reactors will lead to low thermal pollution and to the conservation of fissionable fuels. Nuclear engineers will play an increasingly important role in solving worldwide energy shortages. Plasma research is on the verge of breakthroughs in controlled thermonuclear fusion. Soon, it may be possible to generate useful power from energy released by fusion, with environmental improvements over both fossil fuel and fission reactors.