CVEEN 3700 - Nuclear Engineering: Fact, Fiction, Responsibility and Promise

The course is designed to introduce nuclear engineering to everyone. The fundamentals of radiation and nuclear power will be taught. Emphasis will be placed on learning the specialized language used by nuclear engineers and health physicist and the basic mathematical relationships used to quantify radioactivity. Students will be taught how radiation affects human health and discuss on-going epidemiology studies. Other applications of radioactivity that affects the economy and standard of living will be discussed. At the end of the course the students will be able to distinguish between fact and fiction when they come across articles, reports and news releases that deal with nuclear phenomenon. The students will leave the class with the tools to make informed decisions regarding legislation, public policy, risks and benefits of nuclear technology. We can take responsibility for our nuclear heritage and develop the promise nuclear technology holds for the future.