CASL

Education and Outreach

The CASL Education and Outreach Programs are designed to educate and train the next generation of scientists and engineers in CASL Innovation Hub design methods and tools and to attract a diverse group of the best scientists and engineers to perform Hub activities.

The Education Program Committee will

  • Assure that CASL results are integrated into undergraduate and graduate curricula and transferred to industry users;
  • Encourage diversity of participation in CASL activities;
  • Advise the committee chair on educational development activities; and
  • Review and recommend education curricula and programs.

The education program focuses on the integration of all aspects of the new nuclear reactor system design process under the new Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications, or VERA, and provides students and professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively employ the new computational Hub design tools.

Three key elements for the program:

  • Development of new courses and diverse support programs for students at all levels, including graduate certificate program development and assessment,
  • Use of students, faculty, post-docs and scientists to provide a high-powered translational communication mechanism between the Hub sites and task areas to stimulate innovation and team integration, and
  • Implementation of a workforce development program to recruit and strategically develop a diverse group of creative and innovative engineers and scientists to contribute to nuclear power development and deployment through CASL tools.

Program activities include

  • New courses, course modules and course materials developed to address gaps in curriculum,
  • New graduate certificate programs, including an interdisciplinary graduate certificate program to emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of the CASL challenge problems,
  • Meetings via conference calls and at ANS meetings and Summit in 2011-2012,
  • Workshops for students, including workshops focused on underrepresented minorities,
  • Internships at Oak Ridge National Laboratories, and
  • Scholars program to attract students to nuclear modeling and simulation activities at the undergraduate level.

Contact

John Gilligan, Education Program Director
919-513-7144
john_gilligan@ncsu.edu