ISU opens reactor control training lab
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - The next generation of nuclear engineers, reactor operators and technicians are getting their start at Idaho State University. Idaho State University held the grand opening of the University's new Reactor Control Room & Simulation (RCRS) Lab on Wednesday.
The lab reflects the conditions of a new small modular reactor - such as the ones planned to be built at the Idaho national laboratory.
INL's partner, NuScale helped design the control room for ISU's lab. NuScale Plant Supervisor Doug Bowman says the new modular reactors make the transition to clean energy more accessible.
"We can easily fit on into a site where there was a coal plant and replace it," Bowman said. "And then we also see opportunities to retrain that workforce in the future and allow them to keep working in the power industry and not have to relocate to get a job."
And as the clean energy research and industry continue to grow in the United States, qualified operators are in high demand. Teachers at ISU say, 96% of program graduates are already employed in the energy industry.
"The need for clean energy is growing. The research that supports the development of new, safer nuclear technology is growing," Nuclear Operations Instructor Mackenzie Gorham said. "You need technicians who can repair and maintain and operate all of those systems, as well as just the reactor operators who run the current power reactors. So it's a huge need and there's more jobs available than there are graduates across the industry."
