蘑菇短视频professor secures $3 million in scholarships for students entering nuclear engineering field
Bora Karayaka
By Matt Salerno
Bora Karayaka, a professor at 蘑菇短视频鈥檚 College of Engineering and Technology, has secured $3 million in scholarship funding from the Department of Energy through the University Nuclear Leadership Program.
Karayaka collaborated with other College of Engineering and Technology faculty including dean Randy Collins, Chip Ferguson, Tarek Kandil, Andy Ritenour and Channa De Silva.
蘑菇短视频offers an educational emphasis in nuclear power for its mechanical and electrical engineering majors. The funding will provide students with annual $10,000 scholarships, which they must re-apply for each year.
This scholarship aims to support WCU鈥檚 engineering students and address the growing energy problem in the United States. Nuclear energy is seen as a leading contender for clean, renewable energy, as it does not release carbon emissions and is more consistent than solar, wind, or hydroelectric power. Other renewable energy sources require large, expensive storage systems, which are impractical for meeting the country鈥檚 energy needs.
Public perception remains a significant obstacle for the nuclear industry.
鈥淭he key point here is education to get to that future of clean energy. Education has to be that bridge,鈥� Karayaka said. 鈥淲hen most people hear about a nuclear power plant, they think about disasters like Chernobyl, Fukushima, or Three Mile Island. Other renewable energy sources don鈥檛 have disaster movies made about them. Yet, nuclear energy is the second safest energy source, with coal, oil, biomass, natural gas, hydropower, and wind all having more dangerous safety ratings.鈥�
Karayaka emphasized the importance of educating the next generation of the nuclear workforce to be aware of these challenges.
Currently, 50% of Duke Energy鈥檚 electricity comes from nuclear power plants, and this percentage could increase as the company decommissions coal-fired power plants. There are bipartisan efforts in the government to increase funding for new technologies in the nuclear industry.
TerraPower, a nuclear reactor design and engineering company, is developing a reactor that recycles nuclear fuel, resulting in ten times less waste. The opportunities for students entering the nuclear workforce are abundant, and meeting the country鈥檚 growing energy needs will require a skilled and educated workforce.
鈥淣uclear engineers are among the top 25 fastest-growing professions, according to LinkedIn,鈥� Karayaka said. 鈥溎⒐蕉淌悠祇ffers five classes that prepare students for the field. Graduates have gone on to work in nuclear power plants, companies serving utility interests, and even the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.鈥�
With scholarships from the UNLP, 蘑菇短视频students are poised to propel themselves and the nation into a future of green energy.
