UNM nuclear program growing

Enrollments are increasing in the University of New Mexico's nuclear engineering program.

In 2001, UNM's undergraduate program had 10 students. Now it has 40. In 2001, the graduate program had about 25 students. It currently has 35, said the dean of UNM's School of Engineering, Joe Cecchi.

Many universities shut down their nuclear programs in the past three decades as nuclear plant construction came to a standstill, he said. But UNM continued its program, and now it's benefitting from renewed interest in nuclear power, Cecchi said.

"I think students are beginning to realize that nuclear engineering and nuclear power will play a role in meeting our global energy needs," he said.

UNM students will benefit and the school's nuclear engineering program will continue to grow as the country starts production on 11 nuclear plants, Cecchi said.

"We really do need to increase the number of graduates in this field if nuclear power is going to be an option," he said.

However, job opportunities for nuclear engineers aren't just in nuclear power, said Terry Yates, university vice provost for research.

UNM is known for working on nuclear engineering for space travel, and New Mexico has had a long-standing role in nuclear weapons.

Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque is continually trying to keep its nuclear engineering expertise in weapons alive, but graduates have been hard to come by in past years, said Joan Woodard, Sandia's deputy director for nuclear weapons.

"Graduates get snapped up very quickly," Woodard said.

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Information from: The Albuquerque Tribune

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