Oklo Funds Nuclear Engineering Program Expansion at Ohio State University
Ohio State University is making big changes to its nuclear engineering program with support from Oklo, the advanced nuclear company (Columbus Business First, subscription).
What’s going on: A total of $4.5 million ($3 million from Oklo and its executives plus $1.5 million in university matching funds) will go toward launching a new OSU undergraduate degree in nuclear engineering, renovating research and teaching facilities at the school, creating an endowed professorship, supporting scholarships and renaming the OSU nuclear reactor laboratory.
- “The School of Engineering aims to offer the undergraduate major in nuclear engineering in fall 2027, following accreditation and approval by trustees and state officials. Currently, Ohio State has only graduate degrees in the field.”
- Ohio State will create the Oklo Experiential Engineering Education Lab in an existing main campus lab, and the school’s 65-year-old nuclear reactor laboratory will be renamed the Oklo Nuclear Reactor Laboratory.
Why it’s important: “Industry demand for nuclear engineers continues to grow, and Ohio State is expanding to meet that need,” said College of Engineering Interim Dean B. Shanker in a press release.
- “Oklo’s support will help us launch a new undergraduate major and give students access to the faculty, facilities and hands-on experience that prepare them to contribute from the start of their careers.”
Making strides: The news marks one of the latest significant developments for Oklo, which in August achieved initial criticality at the Groves Isotope Test Reactor in Texas, less than a year after groundbreaking, through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Reactor Pilot Program.
- Prior to that, Oklo received federal approvals for the construction and operation of both the Groves reactor and the company’s Aurora powerhouse at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory.
The NAM says: “Manufacturing’s future depends on reliable, affordable energy—and the skilled workforce to power it,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “Nuclear energy is creating good-paying jobs, strengthening our energy security and fueling manufacturing growth. By supporting Ohio State, Oklo is investing in the next generation of innovators and engineers who will help America lead the world in nuclear energy—and delivering a big win for my home state of Ohio. This is how we create jobs, strengthen our manufacturing workforce and secure America’s energy future.”
Photo credit: OSU
