UCF is one of 16 universities in the U.S. that have formed a consortium on nuclear forensics. The association is supported by a $25 million cooperative agreement with the Department of Energy 麻豆精品 S檚 National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
The goal of the consortium is to engage in research that supports the NNSA 麻豆精品 S檚 nuclear security and nonproliferation missions while building a next-generation workforce of nuclear scientists, engineers and researchers. The University of Florida leads the group, which is also comprised of seven national laboratories including Sandia, Los Alamos, Lawrence Berkeley and Oak Ridge.
麻豆精品 S淭he role of universities for nuclear forensics research is to innovate and develop some of the most challenging and fundamental aspects of new technology and methods, 麻豆精品 S� says Keith McManus, the university program manager for defense nuclear nonproliferation research and development at NNSA, in a release. 麻豆精品 S淥nce these basic aspects have been proven at the university level, the Department of Energy 麻豆精品 S檚 national laboratories can fulfill their unique role to perform mission-specific research and development that improves on capabilities for adoption by operational enterprises. 麻豆精品 S�
This is the first NNSA consortium that UCF has joined. Two faculty members 麻豆精品 S� Professor Subith Vasu of the and Assistant Professor Vasileios Anagnostopoulos of the 麻豆精品 S� lead the charge for the university. They will work with researchers from other universities in the consortium, including Notre Dame, Clemson and Texas A&M, to address gaps and challenges within different aspects of nuclear forensics research.
麻豆精品 S淎s a member of the consortium, we 麻豆精品 S檒l be conducting research on different aspects of nuclear forensics, 麻豆精品 S� Vasu says. 麻豆精品 S淔or example, when you have a nuclear detonation, how do the fireballs interact with the materials and what residuals does it leave? 麻豆精品 S�
Other questions the team will seek to answer include how to determine what materials were used in a nuclear weapon after it 麻豆精品 S檚 been detonated, and how to detect a nuclear weapon or materials that may have been smuggled into the country. Vasu says this type of research has renewed relevance due to the war in Ukraine and public interest in whether or not Russia would resort to the use of nuclear weapons.
A separate challenge the NNSA aims to address is the dwindling nuclear forensics workforce. Vasu says that many researchers in this area started their careers in the 1960s and 1970s and are now headed into retirement. Through the consortium, the NNSA can build a pipeline of young professionals who have experience in nuclear forensics.
麻豆精品 S淪tudents will do research, have internship opportunities, and when they graduate, they can be employed by the NNSA labs, 麻豆精品 S� Vasu says. 麻豆精品 S淚t builds a pipeline for these labs and it 麻豆精品 S檚 also very prestigious for students to go work at a national laboratory. 麻豆精品 S�
For UCF, being included in the consortium is an impressive feat. Out of the 16 universities, UCF is one of the few without a dedicated nuclear forensics degree program or department. Vasu says this speaks to the strength of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 reputation for research.
麻豆精品 S淯CF has been working in this area for several years now, with research in aerospace, computer science and chemistry that can support our future work in nuclear forensics, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 possible that this work could lead to a nuclear forensics program at UCF since we already have the base to create it. 麻豆精品 S�
Vasu joined UCF in 2012 as an assistant professor, and prior to that, worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Sandia National Laboratory. He is a member of the at UCF, is an associate fellow of the American Institute of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a member of the International Energy Agency 麻豆精品 S檚 Task Team on Energy. He has ongoing projects with several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy, among others.
Anagnostopoulos joined UCF in 2018 as an assistant professor and currently runs the Environmental Radiochemistry Research Group within the Department of Chemistry. His research focuses on the fate and retention-release cycles of contaminants as well as nuclear fuel disposal.
