Filling the 'Isotope Specialist' Pipeline: The Washington State University Approach, invited

摘要

It is widely understood within the nuclear science/radiochemistry community that the breadth of opportunities for receiving specific training in radiochemistry has been in decline for nearly thirty years. Several sociological, governmental, economic and academic pressures are responsible for the reduction in the numbers of programs offering advanced degrees in radiochemistry. In recent years, voices long crying in the wilderness have begun to be heard on the impending, arguably existing, shortage of so-called "isotope specialists," those trained in the safe handling and use of radioactive materials and radiation detection. The American Chemical Society/U.S. Department of Energy Nuclear Chemistry Summer School program has been a successful venture (now 25 years old) in keeping this area of study in the list of options for undergraduate chemistry, physics and engineering students. However, extending this starting point to the needs for people capable of conducting scientific and technological research on radioactive materials demands graduate-level programs in radiochemistry.