ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Bringing the S.C. Nuclear Advisory Council (GNAC) to Winthrop University for its Oct. 26 meeting is one of the first steps to strengthening and expanding partnerships between the institution and the nuclear industry.
Council Chairman Richard V. Lee Jr. ’82, who is also a member of the Winthrop Board of Trustees, said the nuclear power industry will be building several small, modular reactors over the next few years around the country to meet green energy goals but will encounter an enormous shortage of personnel.
“These reactors are the future for nuclear energy and are cheaper to build than earlier designs,” said Lee, a Rock Hill resident. “But we don’t have enough people trained to work in the field.”
As Council chair, Lee has been active in helping connect the leaders in the nuclear industry with higher education institutions in the Palmetto State. For example, the GNAC helped S.C. State University, which offers the state’s only four-year nuclear engineering degree, to become a member of the Battelle Savannah River Alliance, which operates the Savannah River nuclear facilities.
Plenty of Opportunities for Partnerships
At the Oct. 26 meeting at Winthrop, the dean of Winthrop’s College of Arts and Sciences welcomed the GNAC members. Takita Sumter, who is also a chemistry professor in the Department of Chemistry, Physics, Geology, and the Environment, encouraged members to think about partnerships not only with the science programs at Winthrop but also with the other departments within the College of Arts and Sciences and in the College of Business Administration.
Winthrop’s programs offer the nuclear industry well-trained talent in data science, communications, supply chain management, data analysis, human resources, cybersecurity and the operations side of managing hazardous wastes. “In the past 15 years, Winthrop has strategically invested in programs and facilities that continue to position our students and faculty for these types of cutting-edge partnerships,” Sumter said. “We plan to work throughout the academic and student affairs divisions to place interested students in sites that allow them to positively impact society through work in nuclear energy.”
Members of the GNAC and guests spent part of their visit at Winthrop touring its facilities in Dalton Hall and the Sims Science Building. These spaces featured student and faculty research teams from the biology, chemistry, environmental, geology, and physics disciplines. The companies were all impressed with the quality of the equipment and sophistication of research by the students.
During the meeting, pledges were made to include Winthrop students as candidates for more than 300 internships including those at the Savannah River site, Dominion Energy, and the Savannah River National Laboratory. These are opportunities to work in sophisticated technology settings, including learning how artificial intelligence is being used in industry, nanobot technology and environmental research. These internships are very attractive and often lead to well-paid job offers, Lee said.
There are also research opportunities for faculty members and students to study solutions to nuclear waste storage, advanced materials, and environmental protection.
Oct. 26 Agenda Items
The purpose of the nine-member Nuclear Advisory Council, which was formed in 2002 and meets twice a year, is to advise the Governor on issues pertaining to nuclear activities in South Carolina. Also at the meeting, council members heard about the following:
*Duke Energy officials relayed how its current operation of 11 units in six locations for eight million homes in the Carolinas could expand within the next decade if regulators in North and South Carolina support advanced nuclear technology. That would allow the company to provide almost double the amount of carbon-free nuclear energy it provides.
*Dave Olson, president and program manager with the Savannah River Mission Completion, talked about the accomplishments for fiscal year 2023, the tritium gas program as well as construction of plutonium pits facilities.
*At Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, its 6,700 employees process and store nuclear materials at the 310-acre Savannah River Site. Their goal is to permanently eliminate more than 35,000,000 gallons of liquid waste.
*Georgia Power just finished construction of two reactor units to produce electricity. These were the first nuclear units built in 30 years.
*Dominion Energy officials discussed how the company is handling a diesel fuel oil leak at the V.C. Summer nuclear plant during testing in November 2022. They are redesigning its fuel system to prevent future occurrences.
For more information about the meeting or the council, please contact News and Media Services Manager Judy Longshaw at 803/323-2404 or longshawj@winthrop.edu.
