The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters (DASD(NM)), Dr. Vahid Majidi, visited the TEES Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI), Texas A&M University, and The Bush School of Government and Public Policy on October 29 and 30. Majidi’s office sponsors several projects with NSSPI that integrate both technical and policy aspects of […]
Distinguished Los Alamos Scientist Visits NSSPI
Longtime Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist, Dr. Charles Bathke, visited the TEES Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute on October 20th to interact with NSSPI students and give presentations. Bathke’s current work involves analyzing material attractiveness, which is the relative utility of different nuclear materials to an adversary looking to assemble a nuclear explosive device. […]
NSSPI Holds Nuclear Security Week in Brazil
The TEES Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI) worked in collaboration with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) to organize “Nuclear Security Week” on the campus of UFRJ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This nuclear security education event for UFRJ students (both undergraduate and graduate) and faculty ran from September 28 through […]
NSSPI Hosts 3rd Annual Academic Exchange with Tokyo Tech
From September 21-23, the TEES Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI) hosted students and faculty from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) for the third annual academic exchange held at Texas A&M University between students from the Texas A&M and the DOJO Nuclear Security Education Program at Tokyo Tech who are studying nuclear […]
NSSPI Leads Nuclear Facilities Experience in the UK
Faculty and staff from the TEES Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI) at Texas A&M University organized the second Nuclear Facilities Experience (NFE) for American students and young professionals through a grant from the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Next Generation Safeguards Initiative. This experience, which took place in the United Kingdom from September 13 […]
Tokyo Institute of Technology Faculty Visit NSSPI and the Department of Nuclear Engineering to Discuss Research Collaboration
On September 7-8, Tokyo Institute of Technology (TI-Tech) nuclear engineering faculty member Dr. Hiroshi Sagara, along with TI-Tech Ph.D. student Takeshi Aoki, visited the TEES Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI) to formalize plans to create a program that would allow Ph.D. students from TI-Tech complete a research internship with NSSPI as part of […]
NSSPI Hosts 2015 Nuclear Security Training Series for Indian Universities
The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI) hosted the first part of the 2015 Nuclear Security Training Series (NSTS) for Indian University faculty and students at Texas A&M University from June 20th through June 30th. The NSTS is sponsored by the US Department of State’s Partnership for Nuclear […]
NSSPI Supports Domestic Nuclear Facilities Experience for Students
Students from the Texas A&M University Department of Nuclear Engineering and Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) participated in the 4th annual domestic Nuclear Facilities Experience (NFE) from May 17 through May 23. This was the first year that the NFE included students from another Texas A&M University System partner. This year’s NFE included visits to […]
Charlton Appointed Research Director of the National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska
Dr. William Charlton is stepping down as the director of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI) to join the National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI) at the University of Nebraska as their first Research Director. The NSRI is the only university-affiliated research center in the country dedicated to […]
Shah Attends International Pre-Inspector Course
Manit Shah, a graduate student in nuclear engineering at Texas A&M University, attended an International Safeguards “Pre-Inspector” Course hosted by Idaho National Laboratory from May 12-22 in Idaho Falls. The course was intended to provide international safeguards knowledge and training to complement existing nuclear engineering and physics education and experience. During the course, participants had […]
NSSPI Hosts Brazilian Faculty for Nuclear Security Curriculum Development
Nuclear engineering faculty members from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janiero (UFRJ) in Brazil visited the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station’s (TEES) Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI) to learn about the nuclear security courses being taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M […]
PVAMU Students Participate in Field Exercise at Disaster City and Visit the NSC
Students and faculty from Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) visited the Texas A&M University Nuclear Science Center (NSC) and participated in a field detection exercise at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service Disaster City facility. It was the second visit to Texas A&M for the group from PVAMU as part of the Nuclear Forensics for […]
GNEII Celebrates Graduation of 2015 Class of Fellows
The Gulf Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Institute (GNEII) celebrated the graduation of its 2015 fellows with a symposium and graduation ceremony at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The annual symposium offers GNEII fellows an opportunity to share the results of their study and to network with other academics, professionals, and government officials […]
Hinderstein Speaks to INMM Student Chapter and Interacts with NSSPI Faculty and Students
Ms. Corey Hinderstein traveled to College Station to meet with TEES Nuclear Security Science and Policy (NSSPI) staff and students and to address the Texas A&M University Student Chapter of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM). Hinderstein is the Senior Coordinator for the Nuclear Security Summit and Nonproliferation Policy Affairs at the Office of Defense […]
INMM Student Chapter and NSSPI Lead Nuclear Security Exercise at ANS Student Conference
At the 2015 American Nuclear Society (ANS) Student Conference, held at Texas A&M University, the officers of the Texas A&M Student Chapter of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM), along with faculty from the TEES Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI), led participants in a table-top exercise that focused on the practical applications […]
NSSPI Continues Five Year Tradition of Hosting Russian Student Interns
From November 2014 through January 2015, NSSPI hosted a student intern from Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) in Russia. This marks the fifth consecutive year that NSSPI has hosted student interns from TPU as part of a research engagement program sponsored by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Material Protection, […]
Prairie View A&M Students Visit Texas A&M as part of DHS Nuclear Forensics Program
On Friday, April 10, twenty nuclear forensics students and faculty from Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) visited the Texas A&M University campus as part of the Nuclear Forensics for Minority Serving Institutions (NF-MSI) program sponsored by the US Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO). The visit was organized by Dr. Royal Elmore, […]
Ambassador Dengo of Costa Rica Visits with NSSPI Faculty and Students
The week of March 23, NSSPI hosted Ambassador Ana Teresa Dengo Benavides of Costa Rica. Ambassador Dengo served an extensive term as Costa Rica’s Ambassador to Austria and its Permanent Representative to the United Nations starting in August 2006. She concurrently served as the Chairperson of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Preparatory Commission […]
NSSPI Participates in International 3S Human Resource Development Symposium and Seminar in Japan
NSSPI student Daniel Hellfeld, along two other students from the Texas A&M University Department of Nuclear Engineering, Jonathan Scherr and Matthew Garza, travelled to Tokyo, Japan for the 4th International Symposium and Seminar on Global Nuclear Human Resource Development for Safety, Security, and Safeguards titled “Nuclear Safety in the Post-Fukushima Era” from February 17 – […]
Gariazzo Presents Nuclear Security Lecture Series for Students at PDPU in India
From January 19-30, Texas A&M Nuclear Engineering Ph.d. student and NSSPI research staff member Claudio Gariazzo presented a series of 14 lectures on nuclear security to a group of eight first-year master’s degree students at Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) in India. The course covered basic nuclear nonproliferation and security, radiation detection, threat identification, facility […]
Charlton Participates in Nuclear Security Curriculum Development Workshop in Indonesia
In January, NSSPI Director Dr. William Charlton, along with Dr. Howard Hall and Dr. Joe Stainback of the University of Knoxville, travelled to Yogyakarta in Indonesia to support a curriculum development workshop at Gadjah Mada University (UGM). This was the second in a series of three workshops sponsored by the US State Department’s Partnership for Nuclear […]
NSSPI Helps Lead the Advanced Nuclear Security Workshop for Indian Universities
From January 6-10, NSSPI faculty joined with Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) to lead a four-day workshop for Indian universities focused on advanced nuclear security topics on the campus of Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) in Gadhinagar, Gujarat, India. Sponsored by PDPU and the Department of State’s Partnership for Nuclear Security (PNS), this workshop was a […]
NSSPI Student Presentations Highlighted in ANS Nuclear News
Presentations made by NSSPI students Royal Elmore and Matthew Swinney at the American Nuclear Society (ANS) Annual Meeting in November 2014 were highlighted in the January 2015 edition of the ANS’s publication Nuclear News. Their presentations were part of a session on nonproliferation sponsored by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Technical Group (whose name was changed to […]
NSSPI Hosts Nigerian Faculty for Nuclear Security Study Tour
NSSPI hosted faculty members from four Nigerian universities for a nuclear security study tour December 1 through 5. The faculty members hailed from Ahmado Bello University, Obafemi Awolowo University, the Univerity of Ibadan, and the University of Port Harcourt, and the purpose of their visit was to seek guidance on the development of nuclear security […]
Chirayath Invited to Speak at INMM Chapter Meeting in Korea
NSSPI Associate Director, Dr. Sunil Chirayath traveled to Daejeon, South Korea to give an invited talk at the 18th Annual Meeting of the Korea chapter of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) held on November 13th at Hotel INTERCITI. The focus of the meeting was “Nonproliferation Challenges in Spent Fuel Management.” The meeting included […]
NSSPI Represents Texas A&M at IAEA Safeguards Symposium
Nuclear Security Science & Policy Institute (NSSPI) staff members, Dr. Sunil Chirayath and Claudio Gariazzo, along with nuclear engineering graduate student Royal Elmore, traveled to Vienna, Austria to participate in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) symposium on “International Safeguards: Linking Strategy, Implementation and People” held October 20-24. The symposium provided an opportunity for participants […]
IAEA Director General Amano Meets with NSSPI Leadership
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano met with NSSPI Director Dr. William Charlton, NSSPI Deputy Director Dr. David Boyle, Nuclear Power Institute (NPI) Director Dr. Lee Peddicord, and Dr. Yassin Hassan, head of the department of nuclear engineering at Texas A&M University as part of his visit to the campus last week. […]
Gariazzo Lectures at ESARDA Course in Thailand
Claudio Gariazzo, a research engineer with NSSPI, traveled to Thailand to provide two lectures during the 13th ESARDA (European Safeguards Research and Development Association) course on Nuclear Safeguards and Non-Proliferation October 6th-10th 2014. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) of Ispra, Italy organized the course for Southeast Asian countries in partnership with the University […]
Dromgoole Awarded HPS Fellowship
NSSPI student Lainy Dromgoole has been awarded the 2014-2015 Robert Gardner Memorial Fellowship from the Health Physics Society. The fellowship includes a $5000 stipend and a travel grant to attend the HPS Annual Meeting in Indianapolis in the summer of 2015. Dromgoole is a graduate student working with NSSPI faculty member Dr. Craig Marianno on research […]
NSSPI Hosts Academic Exchange with Students and Faculty from Tokyo Tech
In September, NSSPI hosted a delegation of students and faculty from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech). The visit was the second academic exchange held at Texas A&M University between students at Texas A&M and the DOJO Nuclear Security Education Program at Tokyo Tech who are studying nuclear nonproliferation and security issues. Texas A&M […]
Gariazzo Presenter at Fourth Week of Nuclear Engineering in Rio de Janiero
NSSPI research engineer Claudio Gariazzo was invited to the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janiero (UFRJ) in August to speak at the Fourth Week of Nuclear Engineering event. It was an opportunity for undergraduate nuclear engineering students at the UFRJ to attend presentations from many sectors in the area of nuclear engineering of interest to […]
NSSPI Faculty Lead Nuclear Security Workshop for Indian Universities
NSSPI faculty members Dr. William Charlton, Dr. Sunil Chirayath, and Dr. Craig Marianno conducted a two and a half day workshop on nuclear security at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur (IIT-K), which was jointly sponsored by the US State Department’s Partnership for Nuclear Security (PNS) and IIT-K. Participants in this workshop were faculty […]
Chirayath Speaks at Nuclear Security Education Workshop in Indonesia
In August, NSSPI Associate Director Dr. Sunil Chirayath traveled to Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia to speak as part of the Workshop on the Enhancement of Nuclear Engineering Curriculum with Nuclear Security Subjects. The workshop was sponsored by the US State Department’s Partnership for Nuclear Security (PNS) and was aimed at enhancing UGM […]
NSSPI Holds Nuclear Security Training Series for Indian Universities
This summer, NSSPI hosted the first part of the 2014 Nuclear Security Training Series (NSTS), sponsored by the US Department of State’s Partnership for Nuclear Security (PNS). The program was coordinated by NSSPI faculty member Dr. Sunil Chirayath and participants included 24 students and faculty members from three Indian Universities: Anna University (Chennai); the Indian […]
NSSPI Students Win AREVA-Canberra Film Contest
Jennifer Erchinger, Jose Trevino, Timothy Jacomb-Hood, Manit Shah and Micheal Smith, nuclear engineering graduate students working with NSSPI faculty member Dr. Craig Marianno, won first place at the Canberra University Video Challenge. Their video highlights examples of students using Canberra products in their classes and research in radiation detection. A variety of products are shown as […]
NSSPI Holds Graduation for PNS Summer Certificate in Nuclear Security Program
In July, NSSPI graduated its first class of students in the Summer Certificate in Nuclear Security Program. Sponsored by the US State Department’s Partnership for Nuclear Security (PNS), the certificate program is an eight-week intensive course designed to produce nuclear professionals who will lead efforts to reduce the security risks associated with nuclear and radiological […]
Shah Wins Award for Paper at 2014 INMM Annual Meeting
Manit Shah’s paper titled “Simulation Analysis of Scintillation in a Nal Detector” was selected as the best student paper for the Nonproliferation and Arms Control Division of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) at their annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia in July. Shah is a Nuclear Engineering Ph.D. student working with NSSPI faculty member […]
Miller Recognized with Early Career Award from the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management
The Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) recognized NSSPI graduate Dr. Karen Miller with the Early Career Award at their annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia in July. The Early Career Award was established to recognize technical and professional achievements in the field of nuclear materials management by INMM members who are in the early stages […]
NSSPI Participates in Fourth GNEII Symposium and Graduation Held at Khalifa University
The Gulf Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Institute (GNEII) at Khalifa University’s Abu Dhabi campus commemorated the conclusion of the fourth year of the program with a two-day symposium on nuclear safety, security, and safeguards May 18-19. The event concluded with a graduation ceremony for this year’s participants. NSSPI Deputy Director Dr. David Boyle, who was among […]
Swinney Lectures on Nuclear Safeguards and Security at Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University in India
From January 15 through February 16, 2014, NSSPI Ph.D. student Mathew Swinney presented a series of 27 lectures on nuclear safeguards and security to a group of 11 first-year master’s degree students at Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) in India. The program is primarily supported by the U.S. Department of State through the Partnership for […]
NSSPI Participates in Global Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards Human Resource Development Symposium and Seminar in Japan
Six NSSPI students, along with NSSPI Director Dr. William Charlton, Texas A&M Department of Nuclear Engineering Department Head Dr. Yassin Hassan, and Dr. Richard MacNamee of the Bush School, traveled to Tokyo, Japan to attend the International Symposium and Seminar on Global Nuclear Human Resource Development for Safety, Security and Safeguards from February 25th – […]
Charlton Speaks to Public at Science Cafe
On Tuesday evening, February 18, 2014 NSSPI Director Dr. William Charlton gave a presentation at the Science Café at Revolutions Bar and Grill in downtown Bryan. The topic of his talk was “Using Technology to Deter Nuclear Terrorism,” and included discussions of nuclear forensics methods used to deny terrorists access to materials and field detection […]
NSSPI Hosts Student Interns from Tomsk Polytechnic University in Russia
During the Fall 2013 semester, NSSPI hosted two student interns from the Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) in Tomsk, Russia. The exchange was part of a joint project with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) led by NSSPI Associate Research Engineer Claudio Gariazzo to exchange technical and cultural information between academic personnel through collaborative research and build […]
Munshi Visit Moves Forward Partnership between Indian University and NSSPI
In early December 2013, NSSPI hosted the senior faculty member and Convener Prof. Prabhat Munshi of the Nuclear Engineering and Technology Program at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K). The purpose of Prof. Munshi’s visit was to discuss the possibilities of student/faculty exchange in the light of the recent Memorandum of Agreement signed between […]
NSSPI Hosts Indonesian Delegation for Nuclear Security Education
Faculty and students from Gadjah Mada University (GMU) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia spent a week at NSSPI in November to discuss nuclear security education and experience the NSSPI curriculum firsthand. Their stop at NSSPI was part of a longer trip to prominent university programs in nuclear security throughout the US meant to expose the students and […]
NSSPI Students and Staff Participate in Arms Control Exercise in Norway
Over a five day period in early November, five NSSPI students and two staff members joined five students from Tomsk Polytechnic University and Tomsk State University to engage in a simulated arms control exercise under the UK-Norway Initiative in Oslo, Norway. The exercise was hosted by the Institute for Energy Technology (Norway), Atomic Weapons Establishment […]
NSSPI Hosts Academic Exchange with Students and Faculty from the Tokyo Institute of Technology
NSSPI hosted a group of students and faculty from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (TI Tech) from September 11-13 for an academic exchange with NSSPI students and faculty. Students from both institutions presented their research and participated in social activities together. Faculty also discussed future collaboration between Texas A&M and TI Tech. While at Texas […]
NSSPI Students and Staff Participate in 7th Annual Nuclear Nonproliferation Summer School in Tomsk, Russia
August 7-18, NSSPI students and staff joined students and faculty from Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk State University, and several other Russian and Ukrainian universities at the seventh annual Summer School for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy in Tomsk, Russia. The summer school gives students from both technical and policy backgrounds the opportunity […]
Charlton and Students Participate in ESARDA Symposium
NSSPI Director Dr. William Charlton and students Dr. Braden Goddard and Julia Eigenbrodt traveled to Bruges, Belgium to participate in the 35th Annual European Safeguards Research & Development Association (ESARDA) Symposium from May 27-30. Each of the students gave a presentation at the symposium. Dr. Goddard’s presentation was titled “Expanding the Capabilities of Neutron […]
GNEII Marks the End of Year 3 with Graduation Ceremony and Symposium
The Gulf Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Institute (GNEII) concluded its third year with a graduation ceremony and two-day symposium on nuclear safety, security, and safeguards held at the Abu Dhabi campus of Khalifa University on May 19th-20th. The 20 fellows who participated in the program this year represented the largest graduating class for GNEII since its […]
Goddard Lectures at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
From 11-18 April, recent NSSPI Ph.D. graduate Braden Goddard traveled to northern India to teach classes in the Nuclear Engineering Department at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK). Goddard gave a series of six 75 minute lectures, covering such topics as nuclear safeguards, Monte Carlo methods, and nuclear security science. These lectures were attended […]
NSSPI AggiE-Challenge Team Participates in TAMU Engineering Project Showcase
The AggiE-Challenge team, led by faculty advisor, NSSPI faculty member Dr. Sunil Chirayath, and graduate student advisor Evans Kitcher, was one of over 100 teams to participate in the 2013 TAMU Engineering Project Showcase on April 19. The team consists of eleven junior and senior level undergraduate students from the departments of Nuclear Engineering and […]
NSSPI Leads Nuclear Facilities Experience in Japan
The Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI) at Texas A&M University recently conducted the 2013 Nuclear Facilities Experience (NFE) in Japan. The event was co-coordinated with the Integrated Support Center for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Nuclear Security (ISCN) of the Japan Atomic Energy Authority. Participants in the NFE included students and professors from Texas A&M, […]
Miller Travels to India to Lecture on Nuclear Security
NSSPI senior Ph.D. student James Miller is currently visiting the Nuclear Energy program at Pandit Deendayahl Petroleum University (PDPU) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. He is there to give a series of lectures on nuclear security to students in the PDPU Nuclear Energy Masters of Technology (M.Tech.) program. The five-week course runs from March 18 – […]
Chirayath to Co-Supervise Students at South Africa’s North-West University
NSSPI faculty member Dr. Sunil S. Chirayath has been selected by the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at South Africa’s North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus) to be the Co-Supervisor for two of their Nuclear Engineering graduate students. Dr. Chirayath will advising Ph.D. student Marina du Toit and M.Sc. student Sinenhlanhla Sihlangu in their research along […]
NSSPI Hosts MPACT Campaign Working Group Meeting
From March 12-14, NSSPI hosted the semi-annual meeting of the Material Protection Accounting and Control Technologies (MPACT) campaign working group. MPACT is a campaign, sponsored by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE), whose mission is to develop innovative technologies and analysis tools to enable next-generation nuclear materials management for existing and […]
Charlton Participates in CTBTO Academic Forum
From March 18-20 NSSPI Director Dr. William Charlton participated in the CTBTO Academic Forum in Vienna, Austria. Focused on education related to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), the forum was organized by the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) as part of their Capacity Development Initiative and intended for academics engaged […]
Charlton Chairs Session at 1st Asan Nuclear Forum
NSSPI Director, Dr. William Charlton traveled to Seoul, Korea February 19-20, 2013 to participate in the 1st Asan Nuclear Forum hosted by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. At this forum, 200 leading nuclear experts from over 30 countries and international organization gathered to discuss major issues in nuclear nonproliferation, peaceful use of nuclear energy […]
Gariazzo Invited to Lecture at 11th ESARDA Course on Nuclear Safeguards and Nonproliferation
NSSPI Research Engineer, Claudio Gariazzo, was invited to lecture at the 11th European Safeguards Research and Development Association (ESARDA) Course on Nuclear Safeguards and Nonproliferation in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia. Held from February 25th to March 1st, the course was aimed for only ASEAN countries (with Australian observers). The course had 36 participants from around […]
Erchinger to Attend International Seminar on Global Nuclear Human Resource Development
NSSPI student Jennifer Erchinger has been selected to attend The 2nd International Seminar on Global Nuclear Human Resource Development for Safety, Security and Safeguards, on February 18-26, 2013 in Tokyo. Erchinger is currently working with NSSPI faculty member Dr. Craig Marianno and will be earning her Master’s degree in Health Physics in the spring of […]
Charlton Named 2012-2013 Barbara & Ralph Cox ’53 Faculty Fellow
NSSPI Director Dr. William Charlton was among the recipients of 2012-2013 TAMU College of Engineering Teaching, Service, and Contribution awards announced this week by Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering. Dr. Charlton was recognized for his contribution to the College of Engineering by being named the 2013-2012 Barbara & Ralph Cox […]
D.C. Panel, Reception Showcase Importance of Texas A&M Nuclear Science and Policy Expertise to Nation
WASHINGTON, DC – The role of research universities in nuclear science, energy and policy was the topic of a Texas A&M-sponsored panel and reception last week in Washington, D.C., where panelists and speakers recognized the importance of higher education to ensuring the U.S. remains a global leader in nuclear research and development (R&D). The event […]
NSSPI Hosts Interns from the Tomsk Polytechnic University in Russia
From October 1 to December, NSSPI hosted two student interns from the Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) in Tomsk, Russia. Denis Tatarnikov and Dmitry Prokopyev spent their internship at NSSPI conducting research in nuclear security and nuclear forensics under a project sponsored by the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Material Protection, Control, and Accounting and […]
Dr. Charlton Participates in TAMU Panel in Washington, D.C.
NSSPI Director Dr. William Charlton traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to participate in a panel discussion on “The Role of Research Universities in Nuclear Science, Energy and Policy.” The panel took place on Dec. 11 at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. and was hosted by TAMU/TEES and the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). The panel […]
NSSPI Team Places First in AggiE-Challenge Showcase Presentations
The AggiE-Challenge team led by NSSPI faculty member Dr. Sunil Chirayath placed first in the AggiE-Challenge Showcase student poster presentation competition held on Monday, December 3rd. The showcase marked the end of the first semester of work for the AggiE-Challenge teams. The AggiE-Challenge program is sponsored by the Dwight Look College of Engineering at TAMU […]
NSSPI Students and Faculty Take Part in Nuclear Security and Safeguards Workshop at ORNL
Six students from TAMU joined students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Pennsylvania State University (PSU) to participate in a hands-on workshop on nuclear security and safeguards at the Safeguards Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) from October 15-19, 2012. Faculty members Dr. Craig Marianno from NSSPI and Dr. Brenden Heidrich from […]
GNEII Hosts Symposium and Graduation Ceremony
The Gulf Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Institute (GNEII) held a two-day symposium and graduation ceremony on the Abu Dhabi campus of Khalifa University on October 9 and 10 to mark the completion of their 2012 program. The symposium focused on nuclear safety, security, and safeguards and featured the eleven capstone projects completed by the GNEII fellows. […]
NSSPI Leads Nonproliferation Exercise with Kenyan Workshop Participants
NSSPI faculty organized a series of lectures and exercises relating to nonproliferation and Safety, Security, and Safeguards (3S) for a group of twenty-nine Kenyans attending a Nuclear Power Institute (NPI) workshop from July 8 through August 8. The workshop was focused on building the capability in Kenya to embark on a nuclear power program, and […]
NSSPI Faculty and Students Participate in Nonproliferation Summer School in Russia
From August 10 – 20, 2012, NSSPI faculty and students traveled to Tomsk in Russia to participate in the 6th International Nonproliferation Summer School: “Nuclear Technologies: Nonproliferation, Disarmament, and Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy.” They also met with and discussed joint research and educational projects with Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) faculty, signed a joint TAMU-TPU […]
NSSPI Receives Visitors from Indian University
During the first two weeks of July, NSSPI hosted two students, Mr. Manit Shah and Mr. Vijay Mehta, from the M. Tech. program in Nuclear Energy at the Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU), along with Profesor Shriram Paranjape, Chair of the Nuclear Energy department at PDPU. The objective of their visit was to receive hands-on […]
Feener Awarded Sorenson Scholarship at INMM Annual Meeting
NSSPI student Jessica Feener was named the 2012 recipient of the Robert J. Sorenson Memorial Scholarship given by the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) at their annual meeting this July in Orlando, Florida. Feener earned a B.S. degree in Nuclear and Radiological Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an M.S. degree in […]
Czech Ambassador Hosts TAMU Workshop Participants
On June 18, 2012, NSSPI faculty members Dr. Craig Marianno and Dr. Alexander Solodov took part in a luncheon at the US Embassy in the Czech Republic. Ambassador Norman L. Eisen hosted the luncheon in honor of the CVUT Nuclear Engineering Conference, a week-long graduate and post-graduate workshop that was held in the Mechanical Engineering […]
Elmore and Gariazzo Named NNIS Fellows
Royal Elmore and Claudio Gariazzo have been selected to receive fellowships from the Nuclear Nonproliferation International Safeguards Graduate Fellowship Program. The program is sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and is intended to help meet the needs of both organizations for personnel with expertise in nuclear […]
NEUP Awards Featured on Local News
The NEUP research projects awarded to the TAMU Nuclear Engineering Department this week by the US Department of Energy were featured in a news segment that aired on KRHD, a local ABC affiliate located in Bryan-College Station. The segment focused on the project led by Associate Professor Dr. Sean McDeavitt on which NSSPI Director Dr. William […]
NSSPI Part of Team Selected for NEUP R&D Award
On May 8, 2012 Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced more than $47 million in scholarships, fellowships, research grants, and university reactor upgrades. NSSPI Director Dr. William Charlton is a collaborator on one of the research projects selected to receive funding under the Nuclear Energy University Programs (NEUP) awards for FY2012. The project, led by […]
Erchinger Awarded HPS Fellowship
Jennifer Erchinger has been named the winner of the 2012-2013 Robert S. Landauer, Sr. Memorial Fellowship from the Health Physics Society. Erchinger is a Health Physics Master’s student who is currently working with Dr. Craig Marianno on a project to construct a scalable radiation portal for livestock. The fellowship includes a $6000 stipend to support […]
Chirayath and Marianno Receive Outstanding Faculty Awards
NSSPI Faculty members Dr. Sunil Chirayath and Dr. Craig Marianno received Outstanding Faculty Awards from the TAMU Nuclear Engineering Department at their 2012 Annual Awards Banquet. The banquet was held on April 30 in the Bethancourt Family Grand Ballroom of the newly reopened Memorial Student Center on campus. The awards were given by interim Department […]
Goodsell Wins Session Award at ANS Student Conference
NSSPI student Alison Goodsell was awarded the Isotopes and Radiation Session Award at the 2012 American Nuclear Society (ANS) Student Conference, which was held April 12-15 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Goodsell presented research on the use of a quartz-crystal x-ray spectrometer to improve the detection of the Pu and U x-ray peaks in spent fuel […]
Grypp Places First in HPS Competition
Matt Grypp was awarded first place among graduate participants at the South Texas Chapter of the Health Physics Society’s annual Student Presentation Competition. Grypp is a Ph.D. student working with Dr. Craig Marianno on the SHIELD Project (Smuggled HEU Interdiction through Enhanced anaLysis and Detection) to develop detector systems to be used in border monitoring. […]
Solodov Participates in NNSA Sponsored NDA Workshop at AELB in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
During the period of March 30 – April 7, Dr. Alexander Solodov travelled to Malaysia as part of a US Department of Energy (DOE) team to participate in a Non-Destructive Assay (NDA) Workshop. The training workshop was intended for representatives of Malaysian nuclear agencies and universities and was focused on the use of the handheld […]
NSSPI Researchers Hit the Field
This week health physics researchers from the nation’s largest nuclear engineering department are teaming up with the largest animal science department to examine how pedestrian radiation portals can be used to identify contamination on cattle following a radiological event. The tests they will be performing are part of a project funded by the National Institute […]
Special Issue of the Journal of Nuclear Materials Management to Feature RAP-NIS Students
The Winter 2012 edition of the Journal of Nuclear Materials Management is a special issue featuring the work of students involved in the Russian Academic Program on Nonproliferation and International Security (RAP-NIS), a technical safeguards education collaboration between NSSPI, TAMU, and two premier Russian universities: the Russian National Research Nuclear University Moscow Engineering and Physics […]
Gulf Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Institute Begins Year Two
The Gulf Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Institute (GNEII) is set to begin the second year of courses at the Abu Dhabi campus of Khalifa University in the United Arab Emirates. The 2012 program will be divided into 4 month-long modules that will run from March 4th until September with multi-week breaks in between. Nineteen students from […]
NSSPI to Collaborate with Malaysia on Educational Initiatives
According to the World Nuclear Association, “Asia is the main region in the world where electricity generating capacity and specifically nuclear power is growing significantly.” Among those nations interested in adding nuclear power to their energy mix, Malaysia is currently working toward 2021 as a target date for the country to start generating its own […]
Wiley Series Tackles Iranian Difficulties
(Originally published in The Batallion, by: Trevor Stevens) Fluxuating oil prices and the threat of nuclear weapons development fuel the tension between the U.S. and Iran, a topic addressed in an on-campus discussion Wednesday evening. Two professors discussed these current global issues during the MSC Wiley Lecture Series symposium: The Iranian Hazard. Professor Paulo Barretto, […]
Barretto to Speak on the Iranian Nuclear Issue at Symposium
Dr. Paulo Barretto will be speaking in an upcoming MSC Wiley Lecture Series symposium on the Iranian nuclear issue on February 8, 2012 in the Koldus Building on the campus of Texas A&M University. The speakers for this symposium will discuss the Iranian nuclear issue and give their comments and ideas on recent events, such […]
Solodov Participates in 7th Permanent Coordinating Group Meeting between DOE and BAPETEN, Indonesia
In December 2011, NSSPI staff member Dr. Alexander Solodov travelled to Indonesia as part of a US Department of Energy (DOE) team to participate in a series of meetings with the Indonesian Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (BAPETEN). The first event was the 7thPermanent Coordinating Group meeting in Bali, Indonesia, during which the US DOE delegation […]
NSSPI Students Present Research at GLOBAL 2011
From December 11-16, 2011, NSSPI staff and students presented their work at the GLOBAL 2011 conference held at Makuhari Messe in the Chiba province of Japan. The first day of the conference was focused on the affects of the Fukushima-Daiichi accident on the nuclear futures of nations such as France, Russia, the U.S., Kazakhstan, India, […]
NSSPI Hosts Russian Student Interns from Tomsk Polytechnic University
This fall, NSSPI hosted two student interns, Vladimir Marchenko and Alexey Nikienko, from the National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) of Russia through a project coordinated by NSSPI staff members Claudio Gariazzo and Dr. Alexander Solodov. The objective of their tenure at TAMU was to fulfill a practical work experience requirement as part of their […]
Charlton Participates in International Workshop on Safeguards Curriculum Development in Malaysia
From December 5-9, 2011, NSSPI Director Dr. William Charlton traveled to Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia to participate in the “International Workshop on Safeguards Curriculum Development at the National University of Malaysia (UKM).” The objective of the workshop was for experts from the US and the Republic of Korea to provide an initial consultation to the Malaysian […]
NSSPI Sponsors NDA Applications Short Course Held at ORNL
During the week of October 24-28, a group of TAMU Nuclear Engineering students visited Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, TN, to participate in the “Non-Destructive Assay (NDA) Applications for International Safeguards” practical short course at ORNL’s Safeguards Laboratory as part of the “Radiation Detection and Nuclear Material Measurements” class at TAMU (NUEN-605). […]
Council on Foreign Relations Announces 2012-2013 International Affairs Fellowship in Nuclear Security
The International Affairs Fellowship in Nuclear Security (IAF-NS), sponsored by the Stanton Foundation, offers university-based scholars valuable hands-on experience in the nuclear security policymaking field and places researchers in U.S. government positions or international organizations for a period of twelve months to work with practitioners. The IAF-NS closes the gap between research and practice and […]
Nelson Receives Two Awards from the NEUP
Dr. Paul Nelson, NSSPI Associate Director for International Programs, was awarded over $1.1 million in research grants from the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Engineering University Program (NEUP). The projects chosen for award were “Improved Safety Margin Characterization of Risk from Loss of Offsite Power” and “Correlates of Sensitive Technologies.” For the first project, Dr. Nelson […]
NSF-DNDO Academic Research Initiative to Fund NSSPI Research on Plutonium Signatures
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has chosen a project proposed by NSSPI faculty member, Dr. Sunil Chirayath, along with Dr. David Boyle, NSSPI Deputy Director, and Dr. Charles M. Folden, III, of the TAMU Cyclotron Institute, to receive an award under the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) Academic Research Initiative. The award in the amount […]
SHIELD Researchers Take Measurements at the Port of Tacoma
From August 26 -30, NSSPI faculty member Dr. Craig Marianno and Dr. Sunil Khatri from the TAMU Department of Electrical Engineering, along with NSSPI graduate students Matthew Grypp and Gentry Hearn, traveled to the Port of Tacoma to conduct gamma measurement experiments at the port’s Rail Test Center. This work is part of the multi-disciplinary […]
RAP-NIS Student Research Symposium Brings Together Students from the US and Russia
NSSPI students and staff traveled to the Labor Spiez in Switzerland from July 25-27 for the Russian Academic Program in Nonproliferation and International Security (RAP-NIS) Student Research Symposium. The Student Research Symposium allows students from the US and Russia to share their graduate research and build professional relationships. NSSPI students Roushan Ghanbari and Travis Gitau joined students […]
Ceremony Marks Completion of GNEII Pilot Course
The Gulf Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Institute (GNEII) celebrated the completion of its pilot course with a ceremony at the Khalifa University campus in Abu Dhabi on May 19, 2011. A total of ten Emirati students participated in the “Fundamentals” module, a 12-week educational program focused on nuclear power and nuclear safety, safeguards, and security. These […]
New Nuclear Safeguards Education Portal Released
NSSPI has released a new version of its Nuclear Safeguards Education Portal (NSEP), an application that provides introductory educational resources for students anywhere in the world with an interest in nuclear safeguards and the security of nuclear materials. The new version of the portal allows students to test their knowledge through online assessments and includes support for iPhones and iPads. […]
Rogers Named HPS Fellowship Recipient
Jeremy Rogers, a health physics graduate student working with Dr. Craig Marianno, was awarded the 2011-2012 J. Newell Stannard Fellowship. The fellowship includes a $5,000 stipend to support Rogers’ graduate work in addition to a travel grant to attend the 2012 Health Physics Society Annual Meeting in Sacramento, California. Rogers is currently pursuing his master’s […]
Marianno to Join the NNSA’s Consequence Management Response Team to Assist Japan
Dr. Craig Marianno has been called to support home team operations for the NNSA’s Consequence Management Response Team (CMRT) at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada. On March 15th, the NNSA deployed 33 experts and more than 17,200 pounds of equipment to U.S. consulates and military bases in Japan to monitor radiation levels and […]