The Role of Justice in Nuclear Engineering Education

Nuclear justice is a growing subject of interest in the field of nuclear science and engineering, with roots in the social and environmental justice movements. In light of an aging nuclear workforce, federal mandates for environmental and energy justice, and calls for diversification in the nuclear field, this work both defines nuclear justice’s relevance and calls on the youngest generation of nuclear engineers to determine whether they see its pertinence to nuclear engineering (NE) academia. Following an audit of the current state of nuclear engineering curriculum, students who graduated with bachelors’ degrees in nuclear engineering from ABET accredited universities in spring 2024 were surveyed regarding their sense of nuclear engineering identity, professional responsibility, and their desire to include nuclear justice-related content in curriculum for their successors. As a result, this work both contributes to the limited catalog of nuclear engineering education literature published since the Manhattan Era, and serves as the first of its kind to center on the nuclear engineering student. The course audit found a healthy representation of environmental and human health-oriented courses taught by nuclear engineering departments nationwide, but a lack of curriculum which features justice, stakeholder engagement, and social impacts. The survey provided an understanding that nuclear engineering students have strong senses of NE identity and professionalism; however, they are rarely exposed to nuclear justice-related content and wish for it to be well-represented in future iterations of nuclear engineering courses. Outside of their traditional NE courses, students are open to learning about nuclear justice from seminar speakers, guest lecturers to student societies, and engagement through elective courses.