As Wyoming moves into an energy transition, the School of Energy Resources is hoping to explore the present and future nuclear industry at UW and the state level through a series of grants.
The Nuclear Energy Resource Center (NERC), is seeking proposals from UW faculty and possible graduate students currently pursuing nuclear-related research.
“The primary objective of these grants is to encourage and support nuclear energy research across disciplines on campus,” NERC co-director Tara Righetti said.
NERC is a brand new center which started this spring. This comes as “nuclear energy and related services are projected to be a $2.5 trillion business over the next two decades” according to NERCs website.
“As a newly formed research center we are focused on capacity building,” Righetti said. “That starts with knowing what work is already being done and identifying how best to engage with people who are doing it.”
Righetti said that funds will be provided to faculty and students who are already pursuing nuclear research to start.
Saying these first grants will help the university get a better understanding of “research strengths” and “where resources are needed.”
There currently is no cap on the number of grants that will be handed out.
“Because of the way the programs are structured, the number of grants and total amount will depend on the number and budgets of the proposals we receive,” Righetti said.
However, there is currently approximately $42,000 budgeted to be awarded.
Who is able to apply for this funding, Righetti says, is not limited to those in SER.
“These are available to all students and faculty on campus. If you are working on a project that is relevant to nuclear energy please apply!”
The new TerraPower nuclear project coming to Wyoming has many across the state aware of nuclear energy, however, Righetti says that these grants are in no way connected to the project.
This investment into nuclear energy comes as Wyoming, and the rest of the United States, is in the midst of massive changes to the energy industry.
“We have seen how low-carbon policies in other states and globally can transform energy markets,” Righetti said.
“Demand for carbon-free energy and manufacturing provides an opportunity for Wyoming to diversify its economy while maintaining its status as a leading producer.”
UW, as the lone university in the state, has always played a key role in the state’s energy industry.
“As a land grant institution, UW has always supported the state and its energy industries through cutting edge research to promote technology development, innovation, and policy development, as well as training students to be leaders in energy,” Righetti said.
The energy industry in Wyoming has always been a controversial topic, but as the pressures of climate change increase, it is likely that the state will be forced to make hard decisions.
“How that develops will depend on how the state balances trade offs between environment, security, equity, and economy, and other factors,” Righetti said.
“Ultimately those are political questions, but through NERC we hope to produce and encourage excellent research to inform those dialogues.”
