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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.
Source: Mike Whaley, 785-532-6657, whaley@k-state.edu
Note to editors: Martin Ohmes is a graduate of Buhler High School; Aaron Holloway is a graduate of Derby High School; Troy Unruh is a graduate of Goessel High School; and Brandi Walborn is a graduate of Junction City High School;
News release prepared by: Beth Bohn, 785-532-6415, bbohn@k-state.edu
Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008
K-STATE STUDENTS WORK TOWARD KEY LICENSING REQUIREMENT FOR NUCLEAR REACTOR OPERATION
MANHATTAN -- Having a nuclear reactor on campus for education and research purposes means engineering students at Kansas State University not only get to study how an actual reactor works, they also can get the necessary training to become licensed nuclear reactor operators.
"Earning a reactor operator's license under the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is a real bonus for students seeking a career in the nuclear engineering field," said Mike Whaley, manager of K-State's nuclear reactor facility. "The Code of Federal Regulations requires anyone responsible for operating a nuclear reactor to hold a license. Holding that license also provides a strong indication of practical capabilities. Coupled with academic performance, holding an operator license is extremely attractive to employers in the nuclear industry."
K-State currently has three graduate students and four undergraduates who are licensed to operate the facility -- but that number will go up soon, Whaley said. Seven K-State engineering students recently took the required tests to earn their licenses.
The tests include a written examination and a practical examination, both prepared and administered by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The written exam is given in a three-hour period, and the practical exam -- given in a one-on-one format with the examiner -- can take two to four hours. K-State students were able to take the tests on campus. To be eligible for the tests, the students had to complete at least six months of training at K-State's nuclear reactor facility.
"We have a developed a course, NE 250 -- Reactor Operations Laboratory, to provide students with information about the nuclear industry and how reactors operate," Whaley said. "Taking the class can be counted as part of the required training needed to take the reactor operator licensing tests."
Students who have already earned their licenses are helping their fellow students through the licensing process. "Alex Meyer, senior in the nuclear engineering program, St. George, is a licensed senior reactor operator and did an excellent job preparing this group of candidates for the examinations," Whaley said.
Earning a reactor operator's license also has helped several K-State students win prestigious fellowships and research opportunities. These students include Troy Unruh, graduate student in nuclear engineering, Hillsboro, who is developing and testing innovative neutron detectors at the K-State Semiconductor Materials and Radiological Technologies -- SMART -- Laboratory, the largest university-based radiation detector program, using a facility he designed and built for the K-State reactor; Josh Van Meter, graduate student in nuclear engineering, Minneapolis, who was selected a 2006 Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative/Generation IV University Fellow, one of 12 students in the nation awarded the honor; Martin Ohmes, graduate student in nuclear engineering, Manhattan, who is developing new kinds of reactor power level detectors at the K-State SMART Lab, and has worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a summer intern; and C.J. Solomon, graduate student in nuclear engineering, Wichita , who is currently performing research using and improving MCNP, a standard nuclear analysis computer code and who was a summer intern at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Providing students with the proper training to earn their operator licenses also shows how K-State makes the safety and security of its reactor facility a priority, Whaley said. "Since K-State's reactor began operations in 1962, it has a perfect safety record," he said. "Our facility is in excellent condition through the commitment of outstanding faculty and staff from K-State's department of mechanical and nuclear engineering to educate our students and to ensure that our reactor is always in top operating performance."
Not only do the people who run the reactor need a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the reactor itself must be licensed. K-State's reactor is currently licensed to operate with a maximum power of 250 kilowatts of thermal power. Whaley said K-State is in the process of obtaining a new license to operate at power levels as high as 1,250 kilowatts of nuclear power. The license is expected to be issued soon.
Other current K-State students who have earned their nuclear reactor operator license or are in the process of doing so include: Ben Van, junior in electrical engineering, Cheney, license pending; Alan Cebula, graduate student in nuclear engineering, Goodland, senior reactor operator license holder; Larry Retzlaff, senior in the nuclear engineering program, Herington, senior reactor operator license holder; Amir Bahadori, senior in the nuclear engineering program, Kansas City, Kan., license holder; Robert Lunsford, senior in the nuclear engineering program, Leavenworth, license pending.
From Manhattan: Aaron Holloway, senior in the nuclear engineering program, license holder; Joshua Smith, senior in the nuclear engineering program, license pending; and Brandi Walborn, junior in the nuclear engineering program, license pending.
Adam Mallicoat, senior in the nuclear engineering program, Olathe, license pending; and Dan Kraus, junior in mechanical engineering, Paxico, license pending.
From out of state: Annie Tipton, freshman in mechanical engineering, Smithville, Mo., license pending.