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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Investing in STEM Benefits Community, Company, and Industry - 20243

Like many organizations and groups, the Department of Energy Environmental Management program and the nuclear industry are facing an aging employee population and record numbers of employee retirements. This 'silver tsunami' of retirees means the industry as a whole is recruiting graduates at a fast pace. So, how do we ensure the nuclear industry has a robust pipeline of graduates with the necessary background? Fluor Idaho's investment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs helps promote the next generation of technical professionals, benefiting both the company and the industry. Through community outreach initiatives and student mentoring programs, Fluor Idaho promotes kids' interest in STEM. The programs are designed to spark STEM interest in grade school and then foster and grow that interest through high school and higher education. After igniting student excitement about STEM topics in school, Fluor Idaho focuses on providing work-specific opportunities including mentoring and intern programs. These programs give students a better look at real-world job opportunities while still stimulating their interest in STEM. These programs ultimately provide career opportunities for the students and a pipeline of workers. Fluor Idaho's strategy for its summer interns has been to place students in a wide variety of projects - from the commissioning of a first-of-a-kind nuclear processing facility, to operating nuclear waste management facilities, to developing computer programs and applications - and give them responsibilities that make them feel like valued contributors. This approach has created a positive and rewarding summer-intern program experience for the students. Fluor Idaho's investment in its future today is reducing the knowledge gap - or cliff - that many contractors in the nuclear industry are facing. It's a worthwhile investment that is readily visible within its many cleanup projects. The next generation of technical professionals is making an impact now - benefiting both the company and the nuclear industry. This paper will review Fluor Idaho's programs, including STEM community outreach and education and mentoring programs. It will also present statistics about the reach of those programs and their successes. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

Inventory of Clean Energy Education and Workforce Programs in Connecticut's I-91 Corridor

This document reports on the findings of an inventory of the educational and workforce development resources in a four-county area on the I-91 corridor in Connecticut. The overarching goal of this exercise is to help the local workforce leaders in Bridgeport, Connecticut to optimize their training programs to support the county's clean energy transition. The inventory generally finds that Fairfield County, where Bridgeport is located, lacks adequate education and training programs compared to other surrounding counties with similar populations. More than half of Fairfield County's programs occur through high school or career technical education programs, suggesting that there are minimal opportunities for workers who are not currently high school students. Much of the existing focus within Fairfield County is on general construction or plumbing and electrical skills. There is room to expand by offering more programs focusing on energy efficiency and renewable energy skills. The document outlines some potential next steps and questions for consideration for the local workforce leaders in Bridgeport. Bridgeport is a city located within Fairfield County in southwestern Connecticut. It is the largest city in Connecticut with an estimated population of 150,000. Through the Department of Energy-funded Communities LEAP program, NREL conducted an analysis of existing education and workforce development (EWD) programs located in Fairfield County that align with (or could support) the worker pipeline for occupations related to building energy efficiency (EE), renewable energy (RE), and clean energy manufacturing. The analysis also looked at EWD offerings in other counties in Connecticut as a point of comparison.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Advancing International Integration and Strengthening Responsible Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Applications Through Specialized Curriculums

Nuclear technology has been pivotal in addressing some of the most pressing global challenges, ranging from energy production to combatting infectious diseases to agricultural security. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), as a leader in nuclear research and development including in the field of radioisotopes, is well situated to share lessons learned and enhance global collaboration from years of discoveries in the field. Accordingly, the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) sponsors specialized educational programs at ORNL, with support from the IAEA, focused on advancing peaceful nuclear applications and associated industries while upholding strong nuclear safety, security, and safeguards standards. The Joint U.S./IAEA International School on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Applications, launched in 2024, is a cornerstone of this collaboration. The school provides an opportunity for early-career professionals from around the globe to gain practical knowledge and skills in utilizing nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes. This initiative demonstrates the United States’ commitment to its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), specifically Article IV, which calls on nuclear-weapon states to facilitate access to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy while guarding against the proliferation of nuclear weapons. In this paper, we explore the curriculum, objectives, and global impact of the program. Participants of the ICARST-2025 conference are invited to learn more about this program, contribute to its development, and explore opportunities for collaboration. This school exemplifies how strategic partnerships, and educational initiatives can drive the peaceful and beneficial use of nuclear technology worldwide

Raffo Caiado, Ana [ORNL] (ORCID:0009000239304805)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Nuclear Enterprise Science & Technology (NEST) [Slides]

The NEST Certificate Program is designed to provide students with the skills and experience to qualify for entry-level positions in nuclear facilities as Fissile Material Handler and/or Glovebox Operator. The program goal is to provide for a technically qualified workforce who can execute a variety of programmatic work in modern nuclear materials handling and processing facilities. The program is designed to be completed in a minimum of 1 year (2 semesters) of university level courses (30 credit hours). A certificate will be offered and awarded through the University of New Mexico – Los Alamos (UNM-LA). NEST is unique in that it is an immersive education program. The NNSA-required training for nuclear material handlers and fissionable material handlers has been cross-walked with the educational Core Curricula. Academic content will be delivered that provides background scientific and engineering understanding of the fundamental concepts behind this training. It will be offered as a Pilot Program to an incumbent cohort to ensure that the Certificate meets programmatic needs. NEST is modelled after a Wharton County Junior College (Texas) program to attract and produce nuclear reactor operators.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Isotope Production Education and Research via a Systematic Study of Photo-nuclear Reaction Yields and Excitation Functions

A new collaboration between the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Idaho State University, and Idaho National Laboratory builds the domestic workforce in isotope production and related science and technologies by conducting research and education programs related to photo-nuclear reactions. Workforce development was identified by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science in the Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW) program that seeks to engage underrepresented university students in isotope production activities. This collaboration includes coursework development, student training, and isotope production research utilizing photo-nuclear reactions at electron linear accelerators. Bremsstrahlung-weighted excitation functions and cross-sections will be measured and the use of nanomaterials to exploit kinematic recoil reactions will be investigated. Students will be hosted at the Idaho National Laboratory where mentors will provide opportunities to explore careers in nuclear science and technology. This presentation regards the ongoing progress of the research and education objectives of the collaboration that was performed under the Office of Science Isotopes Program under award number D000-22-2765.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Examining United States Nuclear Weapon Educational Initiatives: A Quantitative Research Study on the Satisfaction of Participants Within the Nuclear Weapons Community [Slides]

This study focused on United States nuclear weapons educational programs exploring six classroom environment factors that may or may not influence Satisfaction in a virtual/live classroom environment within the nuclear weapons community. The research explored Personalization, Involvement, Student Cohesiveness, Task Orientation, Innovation, and Individualization, controlling for Gender, Age, and Education. This study added to the nuclear weapons community by researching factors that may aid academic instructors and curriculum developers create new and inventive ways of incorporating these factors into existing or new nuclear weapons educational courses.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2023

Nuclear Criticality Safety Pipeline Course - LLNL [Slides]

This presentation details the nuclear criticality safety pipeline course. An educational program from University of California, Berkeley. This course touches on nuclear criticality each fall semester. The curriculum instructs on the fundamentals of criticality safety and provides hands on experience with special nuclear material. This presentation covers lecture topics, project overview, and major criticality safety evaluation projects.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

R&D Needs for a US Fusion Magnet Base Program

Significant technology maturation efforts are underway by privately funded fusion startups with the goal to demonstrate mature HTS magnet technology. To support the private sector development effort and the DOE milestone based program, a U.S. Fusion Magnet Community Workshop was held on March 14-15, 2023 in Princeton, NJ. This was the first U.S. community workshop focused on fusion magnet technologies aimed at determining the structure and technical direction for a public program designed to complement the private fusion industry landscape. Based on the wide range of different contributions, a set of general themes and fusion magnet R&D needs were identified and discussed. Feedback received to the workshop charge questions highlighted critical magnet R&D gaps such as availability of existing large cable and coil test facilities, a magnet education program that can generate a trained and essential workforce by leveraging R&D capabilities of universities, U.S. national labs, and fusion industry. Other opportunities synergistic and complementary with high energy physics, high field magnets that are open for a broad range of science drivers. The defined R&D gaps underpin the need for a mid-term and long-term public program in fusion magnet development, which reflects the purpose of the workshop in developing the rationale and consent for such a base program. A self-consistent, fusion specific U.S. fusion magnet program will complement and de-risk fusion pilot plants (FPPs) of promising magnetic configurations developed by private companies on a timeline consistent with the NASEM report on bringing fusion to the U.S. grid. We describe the magnet challenges presented and R&D needs discussed in the workshop. In conclusion, these challenges and R&D needs provide focus for the development of U.S. mid-term and long term roadmaps on enabling HTS for high field fusion.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Greater Toledo Community Foundation Sustainable Communities Educational Initiative (Final Technical Report)

The Greater Toledo Community Foundation’s (GTCF) Sustainable Communities Educational Initiative leveraged the two recently constructed Overland Solar Arrays to launch a diverse collection of educational activities designed to promote the intersection between workforce development, renewable energy and community activism to showcase emerging avenues for greater prosperity in communities that have experienced historic disinvestment. In addition to educational programming focused on employment in the clean energy and advanced manufacturing fields, the project also activated storytelling approaches to explain sustainable energy’s role in philanthropy, grantmaking and resident-led neighborhood enhancements.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Clean Energy Employment Impacts and Occupational Analyses: Building Envelope & Electrification Upgrades

Under the Communities LEAP (Local Energy Action Program) Pilot, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is working with a group of LEAP communities to bolster workforce development initiatives and support the growth of local employment in the clean energy economy. Through this resource, DOE seeks to provide participating communities with an overview of the types of occupations that could be affected by investments in building envelope and building electrification upgrades in existing building stock - differentiating between the residential and commercial sectors. This occupational analysis is intended to be used by communities to inform workforce initiatives (e.g., local training and education programs) as they implement building energy efficiency and electrification projects at scale.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quantum Computing and Visualization: A Disruptive Technological Change Ahead

The focus of this Visualization Viewpoints article is to provide some background on quantum computing (QC), to explore ideas related to how visualization helps in understanding QC, and examine how QC might be useful for visualization with the growth and maturation of both technologies in the future. In a quickly evolving technology landscape, QC is emerging as a promising pathway to overcome the growth limits in classical computing. In some cases, QC platforms offer the potential to vastly outperform the familiar classical computer by solving problems more quickly or that may be intractable on any known classical platform. As further performance gains for classical computing platforms are limited by diminishing Moore’s Law scaling, QC platforms might be viewed as a potential successor to the current field of exascale-class platforms. Importantly, while present-day QC hardware platforms are still limited in scale, the field of quantum computing is robust and rapidly advancing in terms of hardware capabilities, software environments for developing quantum algorithms, and educational programs for training the next generation of scientists and engineers. After a brief introduction to QC concepts, the focus of this article is to explore the interplay between the fields of visualization and QC. First, visualization has played a role in QC by providing the means to show representations of the quantum state of single-qubits in superposition states and multiple-qubits in entangled states. Second, there are a number of ways in which the field of visual data exploration and analysis may potentially benefit from this disruptive new technology though there are challenges going forward.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Myco-Ed: Mycological curriculum for education and discovery

Fungi are important and hyperdiverse organisms, yet chronically understudied. Most fungal clades have no reference genomes, impeding our understanding of their ecosystem functions and use as solutions in health and biotechnology. Also, opportunities for training in fungal biology and genomics are lacking, creating a bottleneck that hinders the recruitment and cultivation of a talented future mycological workforce. To address these issues, we developed Myco-Ed, an educational program offering training and scientific contributions through genome sequencing and analysis. Myco-Ed empowers students to pursue careers in fungal biology while improving fungal resources. Myco-Ed has been piloted at 12 institutions (15 classrooms) ranging from online e-Campuses to R1 universities, resulting in hundreds of fungal observations and many new high-quality reference genomes.

Branco, Sara↗
DOE OSTI2022

Examining United States Nuclear Weapon Educational Initiatives_A Quantitative Research Study on the Satisfaction of Participants Within the Nuclear Weapons Community

This study focused on a few United States nuclear weapons educational initiatives exploring six classroom environment factors that may or may not influence Satisfaction in a virtual or live classroom environment within the nuclear weapons community. The research explored Personalization, Involvement, Student Cohesiveness, Task Orientation, Innovation, and Individualization. The United States nuclear weapons community needed to attract new and talented individuals to the nuclear weapons profession. This study added to the nuclear weapons community by researching factors that may aid academic instructors, and curriculum developers create new and inventive ways of incorporating these factors into existing or new nuclear weapons educational courses. Convenience sampling was the data collection method used to gather quantitative research data. One hundred and seven voluntary participants utilized the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory with the Los Alamos National Laboratory's consent. There is not much concurrent research on Satisfaction within the live and virtual classroom environment. This research was vital for future research into how to increase participant satisfaction. The study provided the nuclear weapons community with grounded analysis to help create and guide new classes and course creation, possibly increasing Satisfaction in a live and virtual classroom environment. According to binary logistic regression, there was a statistically significant relationship among the dependent variable, Satisfaction, and two independent variables, Involvement, and Task Orientation in the classroom environment within the nuclear weapons community. Future nuclear educational programs may increase Satisfaction in the classroom environment by increasing participant Involvement and Task Orientation within a class using the CUCEI as a reference.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Continuum from Energy Codes to Advanced Technologies: A New Approach to Training

In July of 2020, the unamended 2018 IECC became the statewide energy code for the state of Nebraska. This represented a significant energy code advancement over the previous code – the 2009 IECC. To support the implementation of the new code, the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA), along with in-state partners, including the Nebraska Energy Office and the Nebraska Code Officials Association, applied for and received a FOA award for an integrated and innovative training and education program.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Characterization and application of a high-resolution microfluidic device in atmospheric ice nucleation research and integrated science teaching

Ambient ice-nucleating particles (INPs) represent an important subset of aerosol particles that facilitate heterogeneous formation of ice crystals in the atmosphere, which can impact Earth system and energy. In this work, we developed an affordable high-resolution platform to replicate atmospheric immersion freezing through the unique capabilities of microfluidics to measure INP concentration of known ice nucleation active materials, as well as high-latitude soil samples. The new instrument produced comparable and extended freezing efficiency data for a multitude of samples over the temperature range of -5 to -35 °C as compared to an existing freezing assay within known uncertainties. Moreover, the new assay was integrated into science teaching at a primarily undergraduate and Hispanic-serving institute, contributing to fostering a deeper understanding of ice nucleation processes among college students, instilling their enthusiasm for science, and addressing the critical need for a well-informed citizenry. Student research assistants were involved in both research and pedagogical development processes. Three students from our team visited the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to help characterize physicochemical properties of our test samples and to test modeling of atmospheric ice nucleation using a box model as well as a global climate model (E3SM) for the regional-scale conditions over the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) and Southern Great Plains (SGP). We also assessed student learning experience via hands-on training, research processes, and development of educational materials. On pre- and post-participation surveys and in exit interviews, students reported personal growth as advancements in breadth of experience, research-related skill sets, and regarding their educational and career goals. They also affirmed that the methods enacted incorporated the NASA Minority University Research and Education Program (MUREP) STEM Engagement Best Practices.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Methods of Securing Chemical and Pharmaceutical Knowledge and Recommendations for International Institutions to Enhance Research Integrity

Here, this paper examines strategies for securing chemical and pharmaceutical expertise in a globalized research environment, focusing on safeguarding intellectual property and preventing the misuse of sensitive and potentially dual-use information. The product of collective efforts between Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and New Bulgarian University, highlights the challenges and opportunities posed by cross-border research collaborations, particularly in the context of differing regulatory frameworks and research cultures. It explores current mechanisms to prevent data loss and unauthorized access to sensitive information while assessing the effectiveness of existing security measures, frameworks, and international export control regimes. The approach examines the differing methodologies for promoting transparency, trust-building, and mutual accountability in joint research projects to cultivate secure data-sharing practices and intellectual property. It provides recommendations for international institutions to implement security guidelines in framing research priorities, encourages continual training and education programs, and the integration of processes for monitoring research compliance. This partnership aims to advance scientific innovation while maintaining global stability, ensuring compliance with international norms, and safeguarding valuable intellectual property as measures in chemical and pharmaceutical research security practices continue to expand due to international collaboration and knowledge exchange.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Plowing Through the Cost Barrier: Zero Energy K-12 Schools for Less: Preprint

There is a perception that zero energy K–12 schools cost more than conventional schools. Zero energy schools provide a number of unique benefits to school districts, students and staff, and communities. Among other things, a zero energy school requires far less energy to operate than a conventional school and uses on-site renewable energy systems to offset that reduced energy load. The money saved on energy can often be used to enhance educational programs. But does the extra value come at a premium? Research findings indicate that not only can zero energy schools be designed and built on conventional school budgets, they can cost less. In an integrated design and construction process, the cost of zero energy measures can be offset by, for example, downsizing heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems, reducing both life cycle and first costs. These findings are based on an examination of 88 zero energy or zero energy ready schools across the United States built during the last 15 years. The data collected on these schools include capital costs and the experiences of owners and design teams. The goal was to understand the perceived cost barrier, given that each building was built with a predetermined budget. The results will help future school stakeholders, program administrators, and design teams counter the perceived cost barriers. Successful strategies for achieving zero energy at no initial cost are presented. The lessons learned from existing zero energy schools can help transform the market such that all new schools can be zero energy.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Alignment among environmental programs in higher education: What Food-Energy-Water Nexus concepts are covered in introductory courses?

Interdisciplinary environmental and sustainability (IES) programs are different from other fields because they focus on a complex integration of humanities, social, and natural sciences concepts centered on the interactions of coupled human and natural systems. The interdisciplinary nature of IES programs does not lend itself to traditional discipline-specific concept inventory frameworks for critically evaluating preconceptions and learning. We discuss the results of the first phase of a research project to develop a next generation concept inventory for evaluating interdisciplinary concepts important for introductory IES courses. Using the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus (the intersections/interdependencies of food, energy, and water sectors) as our focus, we conducted a content analysis of eight representative college-level introductory environmental course syllabi and course materials (e.g., textbooks, journal articles, print media) to identify common interdisciplinary FEW Nexus concepts taught in introductory IES courses. Results demonstrate that all IES introductory course materials reference the FEW Nexus. Food, energy, and/or water resources as individual elements of the FEW Nexus are frequently described, but connections between these resource systems are included less often. Biology, energy systems, waste and pollution in the natural environment, agriculture, earth sciences and geology, climate change, behavioral social sciences, and economics concepts are most associated with FEW concepts, hinting at commonalities across IES topics that anchor systems thinking. Despite differences in IES programs, there appears to be some alignment between core concepts being taught at the FEW Nexus in introductory courses.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗