ABQ Times

Eric Lang, an assistant professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering, is set to lead a consortium funded by the Minority Serving Institution Partnership Program under the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The initiative aims to develop materials for safe nuclear storage and create a job pipeline to national laboratories.

The University of New Mexico, recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution, will spearhead this project alongside Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University and Prairie View Agriculture and Mechanical University, both designated Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories will collaborate with these universities to provide students with hands-on experiences throughout the year and during summer sessions.

The project, titled “MSI-Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Partnership Program for the Development and Screening of Nanostructured Zirconate Analogues for Immobilization of Nuclear Fuel Waste,” has secured $5 million in funding over five years.

Spent nuclear fuel presents several disposal challenges. In response, Lang and other consortium members plan to fabricate materials suitable for nuclear waste disposal and test them under various conditions. "The work will focus on the development and testing of nuclear waste analog materials that will enable the safe storage of waste products when they are subjected to their storage environments, which could include radiation, corrosion, temperature evolution and other external stimuli," Lang explained.

Each participating university will support undergraduate and graduate researchers. Lang also expects these institutions to facilitate student exchanges. "The resources available to students at other institutions are different than what we can offer here and vice versa," he noted. "Having students see different ways research can be conducted and having them gather a diverse understanding of the ways in which you can approach a problem is super important."

This project is one of seven federal grants awarded to Minority Serving Institutions aimed at enhancing educational opportunities in STEM fields through experiential learning collaborations with nuclear laboratories or related facilities.