Student Experience

The NSSPI Student Experience

At NSSPI, students learn nuclear security, safeguards, and nonproliferation by experiencing them firsthand. Classroom and research activities are complemented by opportunities to work with radiation detection equipment, participate in realistic field exercises, visit nuclear facilities and national laboratories, and learn directly from professionals working across the nuclear security enterprise.

NSSPI students may take part in specialized training in the radiation detection laboratories and at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service’s Disaster City®, where technical concepts can be applied in realistic emergency-response environments. Students also have opportunities to engage with experts from the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, national laboratories, the International Atomic Energy Agency, industry, and other organizations working in nuclear security and safeguards.

Domestic and international study experiences provide another distinctive dimension to a NSSPI education. Students have traveled to nuclear facilities, laboratories, universities, and regulatory and international organizations in the United States and abroad, gaining firsthand exposure to the nuclear fuel cycle, safeguards implementation, nuclear security systems, emergency response, and the policy challenges surrounding the peaceful use of nuclear technology.

Professional development is woven throughout the experience. Students can participate in conferences and technical meetings, present their research, engage with the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management student chapter, collaborate with visiting experts, and build relationships with future employers and colleagues across the nuclear field.

Together, these experiences give NSSPI students something difficult to reproduce in a classroom alone: an understanding of how nuclear security and safeguards actually work in the field and a professional network that begins developing long before graduation.

INMM Student Chapter

NSSPI faculty and students established at Texas A&M the first student chapter of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM). Students working on NSSPI-sponsored projects also are members of both the Student INMM chapter and the International INMM chapter. As members of the organization, our students have opportunities to present research projects, publish articles and immerse themselves in the professional nuclear nonproliferation culture supported by laboratories and governments around the world.

NSSPI students founded the first-ever student chapter of the INMM at Texas A&M University. The success of our student chapter has led to the establishment of student INMM chapters at three other US universities and growing interest at several other universities.

Our INMM student chapter organizes meetings with distinguished speakers, socials, networking events, and many other professional development opportunities for students interested in nuclear safeguards and security.

Travel Opportunities

Every year, NSSPI sends numerous students to destinations around the world to study, attend conferences and workshops, interact with peers, and even share their knowledge as visiting scholars.

Some of the opportunities open to NSSPI students include:

• International and Domestic Nuclear Facilities Experiences
• International Conferences and Symposia
• Workshops
• Internships with National Laboratories and the IAEA