Nuclear Engineering. — The Nuclear Engineering Department was organized in 1958 to offer graduate programs emphasizing materials, nuclear fission reactor systems, and plasma analysis and diagnostics. The undergraduate program was initiated in 1965 as a result of the rapid growth of the nuclear power industry. The formation of the Nuclear Engineering department coincided with the construction of the Ford Nuclear Reactor on the North Campus. The Reactor gives students direct access to an operating reactor and provides a powerful source of neutrons and gamma radiation for research purposes.
Research in nuclear engineering has concentrated on the design of nuclear fission reactors, on the use of neutron scattering to study structures of materials, and on controlled fusion. Consequently, the three principal areas of graduate activity are fission reactors, materials, and controlled fusion and plasmas. The undergraduate program is devoted to the analysis, design, and operation of fission power plants in order to train nuclear engineers for the increasing number of nuclear power plants in operation.
The University of Michigan, an Encyclopedic Survey Supplement, Page 134.
