Development of an interdisciplinary graduate program for automation in nuclear applications

Abstract

This paper outlines the motivation for - and development of - an interdisciplinary graduate level curriculum for robotics and automation in the nuclear domain. For cost, safety, and security purposes, the Department of Energy and nuclear related industries hope to automate mission critical tasks for handling and manufacturing sensitive materials from nuclear waste to weapon components to spent fuel. Design in this challenging domain requires an interdisciplinary expertise in nuclear engineering and flexible automation (robotics). Our experiences have shown that there is a shortage of interdisciplinary trained engineers in this area which has led to either 1) an inherent lack of cutting edge automation technologies in the nuclear domain or 2) an inability to precisely define the operational and environmental requirements for proposed automation systems. This paper outlines the generalized material and course requirements for an interdisciplinary graduate program from domain relevant application requirements as well as interactions with the DOE complex and industry. A course structure and timeline is outlined and mapped to the proposed curricula and project development. Students in the program are additionally mentored by DOE personnel to complete interdisciplinary research projects relevant in nuclear application areas. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2009.