Momentum - The Magazine for Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering Vol. 4 No. 4 Winter 2019 | Page 14
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Juliana Duarte, center,
with members of her
laboratory.
Grants provide $850K for nuclear faculty,
graduate student fellowships
The nuclear engineering program in the de-
partment of mechanical engineering has been
awarded two grants totaling $850,000 by the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Integrated
University Program for faculty development
and graduate student fellowships. The IUP
was authorized by Congress in 2009 to en-
hance the nuclear workforce.
Since nuclear engineering was re-established
at Virginia Tech in 2007, the program has
been successful in receiving several grants
totaling about $2.8 million. “The NRC’s
Integrated University Program has been
instrumental in attracting highly-qualified
faculty and graduate students to the nuclear
engineering program,” said Alireza Haghighat,
professor and director of mechanical engi-
neering’s nuclear engineering program.
“We are delighted to have received these
grants to enhance our nuclear engineering
program which has had a strong tradition
of scholarship since its inception at Virginia
Tech,” said Azim Eskandarian, mechanical
engineering department head and Nicholas
and Rebecca Des Champs Chaired Professor.
“We are building unique capabilities in nuclear
engineering which are taking advantage of
collaborations within VT with ME faculty
and experts across the university, including
material science and engineering, physics, and
chemistry, among others, as well as partnering
with regional universities and engaging with
productive international exchanges,” Eskan-
darian said.
Faculty Development
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has