Hispanic Serving Institutes (HSIs)

Grant Awards

NRC awarded HSIs $1,108,932 in FY 11, and $2,395,280 in FY 12. The 47% increase is attributed to available funds, outreach efforts, and HSIs effectively competing for resources.

NRC Measurable Results

NRC's measurable results include:

• Provided outreach, technical assistance, training, coordination of effort, and support to HSIs (e.g., Universities of Texas Permian Basin and El-Paso, Texas A&M Universities of Corpus Christi and Kingsville, Columbia Basin Community College);
• NRC University Champions made HSI faculty and students aware of NRC's mission, jobs, and program and funding opportunities; and
• NRC participated in recruitment activities, career fairs, events and sessions sponsored by, or at HSIs (e.g., Universities of Florida and Puerto Rico-Mayaguez), the Society for Advancement for Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and the 2012 Maryland Hispanic Business Conference.

Return on NRC Education Investments

City College of New York (CCNY) - Nuclear Research Opportunity Program (NY-NROP). NY-NROP's goal is to enable students (5 Master of Engineering (M.Eng), and 1 Ph.D.) to conduct research in Nuclear Thermal-Hydraulics and Safety Research Laboratory at the Energy Institute in Grove School of Engineering at CCNY-Manhattan. Fellows will conduct numerical and experimental investigations of thermal-hydraulics problems relevant to the design, operation, and safety of current and future nuclear reactors. CCNY's measurable results include:

• One M.Eng student graduate completed all four nuclear engineering courses offered by NY-NROP: Reactor Physics, Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics, Reactor Design and Operation, Reactor Safety. Student also conducted research for thesis on subcooled flow boiling PWRs contributing to CCNY experimental research for DOE's Nuclear Simulation HUB Project. Student received job from Naval Air Systems. Student is currently in a leadership development program;
• One M.Eng student received a fellowship to conduct experimental research on thermal storage technology for use with high temperature gas reactors. Student completed thesis, and is working as a research assistant in the CCNY laboratory as part of the DOE NEUP project team for the development of a Very High Temperature Reactor; and
• One Ph.D. student is developing a lattice Boltzmann code for simulation of turbulent flows in a high temperature reactor in collaboration with researchers at Argonne National Laboratory.

University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) - Nuclear Engineering Education (NEED) Program. NEED's goal is to offer a Bachelor (BS) Degree in Mechanical Engineering (ME), BS in in ME with a "Nuclear Emphasis" (ME-Nuc), and an Industrial Technology program in Nuclear Technology and Information Technology. UTPB's measurable results include:

• Seven of the first 8 graduates with ME degrees are in ME Nuclear Emphasis;
• Eight graduates during total project period of performance and 22 expected in 2013;
• Graduated 2 classes under the NEED program: 3rd graduation class May 2013;
• Sixty-four scholarships have been awarded since program inception;
• Both the ME-Nuc and ME are now ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accredited;
• Chemistry Department expects to grant first degree in Nuclear Chemistry Fall 2013;
• Experiential learning impacted 88 students that participated in conferences and field trips to enhance classroom curriculum and prepare for diverse skilled workforce;
• One of the first ME-Nuc graduates is a Process Engineer at the company that his father helped to build as a laborer;
• Eight graduates are working in the nuclear industry or the gas and oil industry; and
• Current enrollment in NEEDII is150 students and 4 faculty members.

Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico (PUPR) - PUPR Fellowship to Increase Research and Education in NRC Related Areas in Puerto Rico. PUPR's goal is to support 9 graduate students from the Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science Department. PUPR's measurable results include:

• Five fellowship students supported-all have presented or been published at local and national conferences. 85% of project research expected has been presented;
• Two fellows selected for internship for 2nd time at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory;
• Four students are in last state of Master Degree thesis; and
• Two fellows presented research at the "International Security Conference."

Texas A&M University – Kingsville (TAMUK) - TAMUK Integrated Assessment of Uranium Mining Environmental Impacts and Restoration Effectiveness Program. The goals of TAMUK is to conduct groundwater quality monitoring near future and closed in-situ (ISR) uranium mining sites, development of a reactive transport model and radioisotope forensic methods, and to recruit minority engineers interested in nuclear-related employment from the vicinity. TAMUK's measurable results include:

• Three graduate students (2 MS and 1 PhD) were recruited; and
• One MS student completed their thesis.

Letter to NRC

Yesenia D. M., a former student at Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico (PUPR), provided correspondence to NRC officials expressing her appreciation for participating in NRC's fellowship grant program. PUPR received a Minority Serving Institutions Program (MSIP) fellowship grant to increase research education in academic fields related to the NRC mission. The program goal is to support nine PUPR graduate students from the Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science Departments.