May 2005, Issue #40

Feature Story

Average Starting Salary in 2003: $50,104

Nuclear engineers split atoms to produce power. Many people associate nuclear power with nuclear weapons and radiation spills. Nuclear engineering goes far beyond these traditional negative associations to fall into three major areas of benefit to mankind: nuclear medicine, agricultural uses and pest control, and nuclear energy. Nuclear engineers search for efficient and beneficial ways to use the power generated from splitting an atom, and they research peaceful ways to use nuclear energy and radiation.

Nuclear medicine engineers may develop new ways to fight cancer with radiation therapies, or they may design equipment that helps diagnose and treat diseases — equipment such as imaging devices that use radioactive materials to determine the degree of function present in an organ. X-rays are often used to produce pictures of the inside of the body, and CT and MRI machines produce 3-D images of anatomy. Nuclear medicine, however, goes a step further; it can tell physicians if there is a restriction of blood flow to the brain or if a patient’s heart has been damaged in a heart attack. Nuclear medicine allows physicians to determine if all parts of a specific organ are functioning properly. This technology can significantly reduce hospital admissions and patient costs by eliminating the need for surgery and hospital stays. Radiation is also used to sterilize medical supplies and to develop new drugs.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reports that pests and bacteria contaminate almost 25 percent of the world’s food supply every year. Nuclear engineers directly ease the burden of world hunger by developing new ways to preserve food — ways such as irradiation (a process that eliminates disease-causing microorganisms such as salmonella) or even the use of radiation to produce food (irradiation of seeds can stimulate earlier and more abundant crops.)

Nuclear energy is one of the largest energy sources in the world and a major area of emphasis in nuclear engineering. The fuel is inert, can be recycled many times, and may provide our nation with an unlimited supply of energy.

Nuclear engineering is a challenging and rewarding career. In the U.S., nuclear reactors provide about 3.7 million jobs and 20 percent of our electricity needs. Nuclear power plants can recharge the electric cars of the future. Nuclear energy can power pumps that carry water from the ocean to desalination plants and then out to wherever it is needed. Nuclear power can generate electricity. Nuclear engineers may run particle accelerators or test nuclear equipment.

The U.S. Navy operates half the nuclear power reactors in the U.S. aboard surface ships and submarines. Nuclear power allows ships to travel at high speeds for years without refueling. For example, the first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus, operated on nuclear power for more than two years and covered 62,562 miles before refueling. In contrast, a diesel-powered ship would use two million gallons of fuel to cover the same number of miles.

The potential of nuclear power is essentially boundless. Nuclear medicine procedures are painless and among the safest diagnostic imaging tests available. Finding ways to harness nuclear power may save many of the earth’s resources. According to the American Nuclear Society (ANS), nuclear power creates no global warming or harmful air pollution.

The ANS has a great Web site with information on student branches, scholarships, internships, and exchanges at http://www.ans.org/. The site also has some good articles about nuclear power and its effects on society.