NCSU Feature

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By Corey Taule

Idaho National Laboratory’s relationship with North Carolina State University (NCSU) has resulted in the institutions working together on research projects and INL hosting many NCSU interns.

Now, however, it’s time to take things to the next level.
“We need to go to the next level of making cooperation more efficient,” said Dr. Kostadin Ivanov, who heads up the Department of Nuclear Engineering at NCSU. “It’s about maximizing our capabilities.”

Ivanov and Dr. Maria Avramova spent a few days at the lab recently. Avramova is director of the reactor dynamics and fuel modeling group at NCSU. A primary topic of conversation with INL leadership was the need for more joint appointments, working agreements in which both institutions foot the bill and the employee splits his/her time at the university and laboratory.
Avramova said staff and students at NCSU see a tremendous upside in working directly with INL researchers, engineers and technicians.

“They are very interested in working here with experienced and knowledgeable personnel,” she said. “It’s extremely important and beneficial to their future career.”

One of those interns is Han Bao, who enjoyed his experience at the lab so much he returned a second time.

Bao, originally from China, is working toward his Ph.D in nuclear engineering, with a focus on thermal hydraulics and reactor safety analysis. Bao returned to the lab to participate in a NCSU-INL collaboration on the project of Boiling Water Reactor Station Black-out accident analysis, which deals with ensuring the safe operation of nuclear reactors during accidents.

“Every moment at INL has been invaluable to me, not only for the promotion of my research, but for the future of my career,” Bao said.

INL benefits from this arrangement as well, according to Marsha Bala, deputy director of INL’s National University Consortium. Receiving a consistent dose of fresh ideas and energy from young people early in their careers provides a shot in the arm for lab veterans.

“INL views the national consortia members, such as NCSU, as invaluable research partners as well as a rich resource for the next generation of staff members,” Bala said.

Bao is one of 11 NCSU students interning at INL this summer. Ivanov said the realities of today – the need to protect critical infrastructure from cyber threats and nuclear power’s undeniable role in mitigating climate change – should lead to even more interns and joint appointments in the future.
And don’t think this is partnership is limited to government and academia. North Carolina’s dynamic energy sector, which involves companies such as Westinghouse, NuScale, General Electric, Areva, Duke Energy and Southern Company, is eager to collaborate with experts at INL and NCSU.

Nuclear energy accounts for nearly 20 percent of the country’s electricity, and more than 60 percent of the country’s nearly carbon-zero electricity. North Carolina’s three nuclear power plants produce 34 percent of that state’s electricity. And because nuclear produces virtually no greenhouse gases, has an impeccable safety record and supports more than 2,600 high-paying jobs in North Carolina, companies are looking to expand.

“Every major company is there,” Ivanov said. “And INL is well-known and respected because this is the lead nuclear laboratory in the U.S. INL is leading the way.”

Date Published: 2016-09-05T06:00:00Z

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