Fact sheet: University of Wisconsin Nuclear Reactor

Photo of UW nuclear reactor

Built in 1960, the university’s 1 megawatt reactor is about 1/3000 the size of a commercial reactor and is used for education, research and educational outreach missions involving other universities, emergency responders, school groups and scouts. (Photo: Michael Forster Rothbart)

About the reactor

Completed in 1960, the University of Wisconsin Nuclear Reactor is a fission reactor that now operates at a power level of 1 megawatt. It is about 1/3,000 the size of a commercial reactor; however, because it is a research-and-teaching reactor, it does not produce electricity.

Mission

Since 1961, faculty and staff associated with the reactor have educated university students about nuclear power and reactor operations, and have helped scientists conduct research in areas ranging from archeology to medical isotopes. For many years, reactor staff have used the facility to introduce middle- and high-school students and their teachers to nuclear science, and to offer radiation safety training for emergency responders and radiation detector calibrations for other UW System campuses.

Education

Engineering students take courses at the reactor laboratory to learn how to operate such a complex system under strictly regulated conditions, and to learn to measure all of the reactor characteristics they study in reactor theory courses.
Many of these students take the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s exam to become licensed student reactor operators.
Engineering students’ hands-on experience with the reactor prepares them for careers in the nuclear-power industry.

Outreach

Each year, nearly 1,000 students from local middle and high schools and other university groups tour the reactor, view demonstrations and conduct science experiments with reactor staff and students.
Of that number of people, about 400 Boy Scouts annually earn their “atomic energy” badge at the reactor.
The Department of Energy’s reactor-sharing program provides small grants for students and teachers from high schools and other universities to use the facility for demonstrations or extended education.
Reactor staff offer radiation safety training for first responders.

Research

Faculty, staff and students associated with the reactor conduct a wide variety of research related to their own projects. They also conduct many studies for external “clients,” including those from industry or other universities. Some of the projects include:

Medical isotopes-Reactor staff irradiated heart stents. Physicians implanted them to determine whether their radiation emissions could prevent arteries from becoming blocked again.
Environmental assessment-Reactor staff measured stable environmental tracers so that scientists could track movement of contaminants in groundwater systems.
Neutron radiography imaging-Reactor staff helped an industrial client image a diesel fuel injector.
Trace element detection-Reactor staff helped industrial clients measure tiny quantities of unwanted elements in their high-performance copper and nickel alloys.
Archeology-Reactor staff help archeologists from around the country detect minute quantities of elements that pinpoint the regional sources of their samples.
Advanced reactor design research-Within a reactor environment, faculty, staff and students study the properties of various materials that someday could be used to build more efficient reactors.

Contact reactor staff

(608) 262-3392
reactor@engr.wisc.edu

Direct media inquiries to

Renee Meiller, (608) 262-2481; meiller@engr.wisc.edu Terry Devitt, (608) 262-8282; trdevitt@wisc.edu