Educating the Post-Fukushima Nuclear Engineer

TL;DRAbstract

While the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident shook the community of nuclear engineers, it had a special significance for nuclear engineering students. What were they supposed do? How should they and could they answer questions about nuclear safety? What about their future opportunities? The incident caused many students to question their deepest convictions about all things nuclear and opened up new questions about their social responsibilities. This chapter looks to the history of nuclear engineering education to provide context for the discussions that took place during the summer school. Historically, students have seldom had opportunities to engage the socio-ethical dimensions of their work. The summer school offers evidence that today’s students are actively seeking new analytical skills and different ways to conceptualize the socio-ethical complexity of nuclear engineering problems. Moreover, students are poised to play a key role in shaping much needed curricular reforms.

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