Printer Friendly Version

December 7, 2005

DOE Announces $375,000 Grant to Lincoln University and the University of Missouri-Rolla
Funding to Expand Collaborative Program in Nuclear Engineering Education

WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Energy (DOE) today awarded a $375,000 grant to two universities in Missouri to establish a collaborative nuclear engineering program.  The partnership between Lincoln University, a minority-serving higher education institution in Jefferson City, and the University of Missouri-Rolla provides new opportunities in nuclear science and engineering for undergraduate students at Lincoln University.

“Partnerships like this ensure that minority students have the opportunity to play a critical role in meeting America’s future energy needs in the field of nuclear engineering,” Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman said.  “Initiatives like this are important in ensuring our Nation has an adequate supply of trained scientists and engineers to meet our future energy challenges.”

The grant will allow Lincoln University to provide scholarships for outstanding students to pursue undergraduate education in nuclear science and engineering.  The grant, to be funded over three years, will also help Lincoln establish nuclear engineering courses at the university and allow Lincoln students to complete their nuclear engineering education at the University of Missouri-Rolla.  Students entering the program will have increased access to DOE national laboratories, research programs and educational assets.  The initiative also paves the way for graduates to pursue graduate and doctoral programs at the University of Missouri.

The Nuclear Engineering University Partnership initiative has enabled more than 60 students at minority-serving institutions to pursue studies in nuclear science and technology.  This is the eighth such partnership that the department has sponsored, now involving 17 universities, including nine minority-serving institutions.  Selections are made on the basis of peer review by independent experts.

Additional information on the department’s science education initiative is available at http://www.energy.gov/.  Information on other DOE nuclear science and engineering educational initiatives that are sponsored by the Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology is available at http://www.nuclear.gov/.