Highlights
- ASU, Purdue University and the University of Tennessee Knoxville launched the New Nuclear Academic Consortium to address a severe shortage of nuclear engineers.
- ASU will launch three to five undergraduate micro-certificates in nuclear fluency this year for mechanical, civil, electrical, materials and systems engineering students.
- Purdue's PUR-1 reactor, the only NRC-licensed facility with a fully digital safety and control system, will be accessible to consortium students via digital twin.
- The consortium plans to invite additional research universities to join within six to 12 months of launch.
Arizona State University has joined Purdue University and the University of Tennessee Knoxville to form the New Nuclear Academic Consortium, a trilateral alliance targeting what the three universities describe as a severe shortage of nuclear-literate engineers, managers and policymakers needed to deploy small modular reactors and microreactors at scale.
The consortium, called NNAC, originated at ASU, anchored by the university's scale in online and technology-enabled education. ASU's primary initial contribution is a suite of three to five undergraduate micro-certificates, launching this year, designed to equip mechanical, civil, electrical, materials and systems engineering students with nuclear fluency. The certificates will draw on ASU tools including EdPlus, the Decision Theater and Dreamscape Learn.
Purdue brings its nuclear engineering program and Purdue University Reactor Number One, known as PUR-1, which the university describes as the nation's first and only U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission facility licensed for a fully digital safety and control system. Purdue's relationship with the NRC spans more than 60 years, with the original operating license granted in 1962 and renewed in 2016. A joint Purdue-ASU project will build high-fidelity digital twins of PUR-1, giving students at consortium institutions virtual access to a live reactor environment.
The University of Tennessee Knoxville contributes its nuclear engineering department within the Tickle College of Engineering and research ties to Oak Ridge National Laboratory. East Tennessee hosts more than 150 nuclear-related companies within 50 miles of Knoxville, including the Tennessee Valley Authority, which is moving toward construction of a small modular reactor at the Clinch River site.
Why does this matter for Arizona's engineering pipeline?
The workforce gap the consortium targets is structural: much of the current nuclear workforce is approaching retirement, and traditional nuclear engineering programs produce specialized PhDs and design engineers rather than the broader range of professionals the industry needs for systems engineering, grid integration, supply chains and safety regulations. ASU's micro-certificate model is designed to reach engineering students who would not otherwise enter a standalone nuclear program, expanding the pipeline without requiring new degree tracks.
ASU President Michael Crow said the university is proud to partner with Purdue and UT-Knoxville in launching the consortium, calling ASU synonymous with excellence and access at scale. Kyle Squires, senior vice provost for engineering, computing and technology at ASU and dean of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, said the consortium will increase the number of engineers prepared to work in the new nuclear industry and create courses and microcredentials accessible to engineers at any U.S. university.
Once launched, the consortium plans to invite additional research universities to join over the following six to 12 months, with those institutions able to adopt or augment consortium-built micro-certificates, pursue jointly funded research or link to PUR-1 via digital twins.
Where to find them
- Decision Theater · dt.asu.edu · Instagram · Facebook · X
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- aztechcouncil.org retrieved 29/10/2026 17:11
- Decision Theater (official site) retrieved 29/10/2026 17:11
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 29/10/2026 17:11. Every claim traces to a source.
