Developing the Next Generation of Women and Minority Scientists for the Nuclear Energy Industry

Abstract

The largest source of carbon dioxide emissions globally is the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) in power plants, automobiles, industrial facilities and other sources. Generating electricity is the single largest source of carbon dioxide emissions, representing 41% of all emissions. Since 2007 the United States has been more actively considering nuclear power as an option for developing energy. Three decades after the Three Mile Island accident seemed to doom the nuclear power industry, the idea of a nuclear renaissance has been gaining public acceptance as a way to generate energy without greenhouse gas emissions and meet the nation’s electricity demands. The growth in the development of nuclear power will also require the development of new and diverse scientists in the areas of like health physics, chemistry, geology, environmental science, biology, and hydrology. This applied research paper looks at the critical importance of not just developing new scientists for the industry but also value of developing more women and minority scientists for the nuclear power industry through the development of viable solutions developed by women and men of color with industry experience. The focus of this approach for data collection is not to reconstitute theory but provide important practical information that can influence the world of practice, the engagement of industry, and the approaches of academia.