Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) has teamed up with North Carolina State University (NCSU) to tackle the ongoing need for specialists in Nuclear and Criticality Safety Engineering (N&CSE) at the Savannah River Site. This collaboration has led to the creation of the SRNS N&CSE University Pipeline Program course, a one-semester, three-hour elective that launched in the Fall 2024 semester for both undergraduate seniors and graduate students.

SRNS N&CSE personnel recently visited the NCSU campus to promote the pipeline course to students in the American Nuclear Society. They discussed the missions of the Savannah River Site, hoping to recruit future employees and students for the course. The event attracted 18 students from nuclear engineering, industrial engineering, physics, and aerospace engineering.

"Roles such as criticality safety engineers and nuclear accident analysts have traditionally been challenging to recruit and retain," said Tracy Stover, Criticality Safety Program Manager. "These are niche, high-demand experts, typically recruited from nuclear engineering or related programs."

The Department of Energy approved the SRNS N&CSE University Pipeline Program course to help meet the company's needs by training potential future talent for these specialized roles. SRNS personnel developed and teach the curriculum to prepare students to support N&CSE at SRS. This includes technical lectures, examinations, and a group project designed to challenge the students' accumulated knowledge.

NCSU was chosen from nine regional universities for the pilot program due to its nuclear engineering programs, its operation of a research reactor, and its partnership with South Carolina State University (SCSU). This partnership allows SCSU students to attend senior-level reactor courses at NCSU, making them eligible to enroll in the Pipeline Program course.

The results of the NCSU pilot program will determine if course expansion to South Carolina State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology will be explored. So far, the Fall 2025 semester has attracted six undergraduate students and two graduate students to register.