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News Services
Kansas State University
128 Dole Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-2535
media@k-state.edu

Information provided by K-State News Services may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

Source: John English, 785-532-5590, deanengr@k-state.edu
Photo available. Contact media@k-state.edu or 785-532-6415.
News release prepared by: Dana Reinert, 785-532-5493, dmr4159@k-state.edu

Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008

BIG 12 ENGINEERING CONSORTIUM TACKLES WORK FORCE NEEDS

MANHATTAN -- Providing enough engineers to fill the work force needs of nuclear energy facilities in the Midwest is a challenge facing colleges of engineering across the Big 12 Conference.

At the second annual Summit of the Big 12 Engineering Consortium, Sept. 14-15 in Kansas City, Mo., nuclear industry leaders met with Big 12 engineering representatives to establish clear lines of communication with regard to nuclear work force needs.

Keynote speaker Dale Klein, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, applauded the consortium's efforts to prepare graduates to enter the nuclear work force, considering the current significant demand for trained engineers.

"Universities, community colleges, business groups, government agencies and utilities need to work together to meet the needs of the nuclear work force across all levels of training and education," Klein said. "The fact that students enrolled in any of the Big 12 schools can take online nuclear engineering courses is a major achievement and will go a long way toward helping the nation meet the growing need for professionals with nuclear engineering training."

Klein also encouraged the consortium to lobby for federal support in the form of scholarships for nuclear engineering students.

"It's essential that we meet this challenge to train and educate men and women to work in the nuclear energy field. Encouraging more students to enroll in engineering course work is always more successful when scholarship support is available," said John English, dean of the College of Engineering at Kansas State University and chair of the Big 12 Engineering Consortium, a multistate consortium offering distance education programs in engineering.

A panel discussion featuring executives from the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, Nebraska Public Power District and Cooper Nuclear Station, and Omaha Public Power District spoke to the educators about the specific types of engineering needs and competencies required for their work force needs.

Students across the Big 12 can enroll on their own campuses to take fully online nuclear engineering courses from K-State, Texas A&M University, University of Missouri and the University of Texas at Austin, the four consortium schools with nuclear engineering programs. Topics range from introductory nuclear concepts to utilization of nuclear technologies, and foundations of nuclear engineering to radiation protection and shielding. A summer institute also is being planned where students will be able to participate in on-site training at universities with reactors.

Member institutions of the Big 12 Engineering Consortium, funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, include Baylor University, Iowa State University, K-State, Oklahoma State University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas. More information about the consortium is available at http://www.big12engg.org

 

Photo: Dale Klein, KBOR CEO Reginald Robinson, K-State mechanical and nuclear engineering department head Mo Hosni, and dean of engineering John English