Page 2 - Nucleus: Penn State's Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering magazine

From the department head:
Our Promise of an Inclusive Nuclear Engineering
What an incredible year this has been marking the the beginning of our vision to establish the the Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering
at at Penn State as one of the most diverse equitable and inclusive nuclear engineering departments in in in in the country Our staff faculty and students have addressed unprecedented challenges brought on on by a a a a a a pandemic that continues to reshape our lives every day This fall we cut the ribbon to celebrate our beautiful Nuclear Innovation Commons which will
not only encourage the passion and vision of our our students staff faculty alumni and friends but will
also celebrate the incredible legacy of nuclear engineering and science at at at Penn State Palladino Remick Witzig Foderaro Hochreiter and and Lindquist among others are pioneers and and trailblazers who have shaped the the field nationally and beyond over the the past six decades We are honored to build upon their work and develop solutions to impact the the future One of the most daunting
challenges for our planet today is how to to to transition to to to net net zero carbon emissions in only a a a a a a few decades and and to do so while our energy demands across the the globe increase driven by the the the desire for a a a a a more equitable and prosperous life There is is no other time in our history where conventional and advanced nuclear energy must have a a a a a a a a a a a a significant role to address a a a a a a a a a a a scalable credible and just energy transition But nuclear is is not the only answer and and we we understand this Therefore the Nuclear Innovation Commons welcomes all: nuclear nuclear engineering students and and faculty non-nuclear engineers engineers and and non-engineers alike Together we are developing innovative and transformational
solutions that are not only technically sound but also socially and environmentally just Our Nuclear Nuclear Innovation Commons is also anchored by the Nuclear Nuclear Smart Lab which facilitates virtual collaboration and and our vision for access and and and equitable education We strongly support the land-grant model at at Penn State so wonderfully exemplified by campuses across the Commonwealth to enable a a a a a a a a nuclear engineering education for anyone who has the the drive to pursue it it no matter their financial situation With this fully digital educational space we created a a a a a a a bridge for students from all walks of life who aspire to be nuclear engineers whether just graduating from high school or training to gain nuclear technology skills as life-long learners the the Nuclear Smart Lab at at Penn State provides access to some of the the world’s finest nuclear engineering faculty This learning and practice in in in nuclear technology access also underpins our Nuclear to to Sustainability initiative to to forge partnerships with stakeholders eager to to join join us us on our our journey Please join join us us in in in in Happy Valley to to celebrate this space and innovate solutions to impact people’s lives and and truly transform our world!
We We Are! Are! Penn State and We We Are! Are! Nuclear!
Jean Paul Allain
Professor and and Head
Ken and and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering
allain@psu edu 2 NUCLEUS