Undergraduate Laboratory in Environmental Radioactivity Measurements

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This project instructs senior-level Radiological Health Engineers, Nuclear Engineers, Safety Engineers, and Industrial Hygienists in the proper techniques and procedures for measuring radioactivity levels in the environment. This area has become a major focus of the nuclear industry in the years following the accidents at Chernobyl and Three-Mile Island. The course utilizes state-of-the-art technology in order to expose undergraduates to new radiation detectors already in use in modern environmental analysis laboratories. In addition to the laboratory aspect, three in-field exercises are used, including an emergency response drill and field trips to local nuclear reactor utilities. The course contains sections on measuring environmental radiation fields, environmental sample collection and analysis, trace element analysis, radon assay analysis, measurements of occupational radiation fields, and radiological emergency response. At this time, no other institution offers a complete laboratory course on these topics. The class culminates in a radiological emergency response drill in which students participate in the annual NRC required reactor accident drill at one of the school's research reactors. This phase allows students to use portable radiation detectors to quantify any contamination surrounding the facility using techniques presented during the semester.