Universities Report Increased Enrollment in Nuclear Science and Engineering

American universities are now reporting a rise in enrollment in the nuclear science and engineering. Here's the latest from Mass High Tech:

The spike is being attributed to a shift in public opinion on nuclear energy, coupled with a concern about global warming, said Ian Hutchinson, head of MIT's Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering.

"That (increase), in our view, is an indication of a change in the perception by students, and science as a whole, in the role of nuclear engineering in our nation," he said. "The visible signs (of global warming) are present, so people are saying, 'Maybe we should think hard about this.'"

Hutchinson, as well as officials from the University of California Berkeley, say enrollment in nuclear engineering and nuclear sciences has doubled in the last five years. Ohio State University's nuclear engineering graduate program reports a 25 percent increase in enrollment during the last two years.

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Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics

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