Nuclear Engineering Outreach

College of Engineering administrators Lynn Peterson and Carter Tiernan received a $202,586 grant from the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Nuclear Power Institute to fund nuclear engineering activities and STEM outreach at UTA.

The institute’s funding is earmarked for workforce development—primarily via pre-college initiatives—so the University’s nuclear engineering minor and STEM outreach programs were logical recipients for the grant.

Drs. Peterson and Tiernan will use the grant to fund updates to UTA’s Nuclear Engineering Lab and facilities, including maintenance and calibration of equipment, new software and materials for the lab, and costs associated with the American Nuclear Society student organization. In addition, the grant will cover fees and costs associated with hosting K-12 competitions, Engineering Saturdays for K-12 students, the 2021 Texas Pre-Freshman Engineering Program, and the development of a K-12 outreach website.

“This grant will allow us to continue to expand opportunities that we’ve done in the past but are becoming difficult to continue financially,” says Tiernan. “These activities support the entire community because we’re providing them to students throughout the Metroplex.”