NERS students gain hands-on reactor experience
With support from a DOE Reactor Sharing Grant, students in NERS 425 and NERS 551 traveled to Ohio State’s research reactor for in-person experiments.
Students in two NERS advanced nuclear engineering courses had the opportunity this month to conduct experiments at a working research reactor, thanks to a Reactor Sharing Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Through a collaboration between NERS faculty and Ohio State’s Nuclear Reactor Laboratory, students in NERS 425: Applications of Radiation and NERS 551: Nuclear Reactor Kinetics traveled to Columbus to complete hands-on labs aligned with their coursework.
Professor Igor Jovanovic, who teaches a part of the NERS 425 class, led the first group of students earlier in the month. They performed a series of neutron activation analysis experiments using both short and long irradiations, allowing them to compare radioactivity levels in different samples and deepen their understanding of radiation behavior. The following week, students in NERS 551 joined Volkan Seker, NERS Research Area Specialist Lead, at the reactor for experiments on reactor startup and calibration—bringing reactor kinetics concepts to life through direct engagement with a functioning reactor.
“This is a unique opportunity for our students to experience what they learn in great depth in our classes—a working nuclear reactor and the use of the radiation it produces for nuclear analytical purposes,” remarked Jovanovic. “We have a productive relationship with a dedicated team of scientists and engineers at the Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Laboratory, who went above and beyond to make this experience educational and engaging for our students. We look forward to making this an ongoing teaching collaboration.”
While the University of Michigan once operated its own research reactor—the Ford Nuclear Reactor—it was permanently shut down in 2003. To preserve access to reactor-based learning, Professor Brendan Kochunas and his team developed the Virtual Ford Nuclear Reactor, a digital simulation platform that allows students to explore reactorphysics, control logic, and experiment procedures in a virtual setting. The platform hopes to grow, with new features and lab modules to be added to support a wide range of instructional and recruitment needs.
The DOE’s Reactor Sharing Program is designed to expand student access to research reactors across institutions, especially for universities that don’t operate their own. The grant proposal—co-authored by Jovanovic, Kochunas, and Xiaodong Sun, with Ohio State as the lead institution—was selected in 2024 under the title Expanding the reach of research reactor’s nuclear education capabilities at the Ohio State University.
The partnership will continue over the next two years, with NERS classes making additional trips and integrating data from the reactor into ongoing assignments.
Photos from both trips—capturing students in the control room, observing irradiations, and analyzing results—highlight the impact of this unique learning opportunity. The collaboration not only supports student education but also strengthens ties between research institutions working toward a shared goal of advancing nuclear knowledge.
