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Neutron scattering is a particularly useful tool enabling the study of compositional, structural and dynamical properties of materials down to the atomic scale. Due to the complexity of operating an intense source of neutrons, this technique is primarily practiced at large national facilities that cater to the research needs of chemists, biologists, physicists, engineers, and material scientists in general. In particular, these user facilities provide specialized instrumentation along with the scientific and technical support required to efficiently utilize it. Since neutron scattering experiments are performed at central facilities rather than in the home‐laboratories of individual investigators, the facilities themselves must play a key role in the education and development of new users. The role of neutron scattering facilities in educating young scientists will be examined using examples from current programs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research.

Since 2002, Washington State University has been building radiochemistry as a component of its overall chemistry program. Using an aggressive hiring strategy and leveraged funds from the state of Washington and federal agencies, six radiochemistry faculty members have been added to give a total of seven radiochemists out of a department of twenty‐five faculty members. These faculty members contribute to a diverse curriculum in radiochemistry, and the Chemistry Department now enjoys a significant increase in the number of trainees, the quantity of research expenditures, and the volume and quality of peer‐reviewed scientific literature generated by the radiochemistry faculty and the trainees. These three factors are essential for sustaining the radiochemistry education and research program at any academic institution.

The United States Government (USG) first developed nuclear forensics‐related capabilities to analyze radiological and nuclear materials, including underground nuclear test debris and interdicted materials. Nuclear forensics is not a new mission for Department of Defense (DoD). The department’s existing nuclear forensics capability is the result of programs that span six (6) decades and includes activities to assess foreign nuclear weapons testing activities, monitor and verify nuclear arms control treaties, and to support intelligence and law enforcement activities. Today, nuclear forensics must support not only weapons programs and nuclear smuggling incidents, but also the scientific analysis and subsequent attribution of terrorists’ use of radiological or nuclear materials/devices. Nuclear forensics can help divulge the source of origin of nuclear materials, the type of design for an interdicted or detonated device, as well as the pathway of the materials or device to the incident. To accomplish this mission, the USG will need trained radiochemists and nuclear scientists to fill new positions and replace the retiring staff.

Over the course of the 2009, Federal Fiscal Year the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Defense will introduce university programs designed to provide the U.S. national laboratories with a highly qualified workforce in nuclear forensics. These programs are designed to recruit the best and brightest students, develop universities research and education activities, and to enhance university/laboratory(s) interactions nuclear forensics. The approach will be comprehensive in that it will target undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members and institutions. This will include an undergraduate research program designed to encourage emerging seniors to perform research at designated national laboratories throughout the United States. In addition to the undergraduate program, a nationally competitive graduate fellowship program in nuclear forensics was established in 2008. This program provides a four‐year appointment with a monthly stipend, full payment of tuition and fees, the establishment of participating universities, and required post‐graduate positions in nuclear forensics. A Nuclear Forensics Education Award program will also be introduced. This broad‐based program will have an impact on university programs interested in developing nuclear forensics capabilities. This will include funds for instrumentation and equipment, faculty members, students, and curriculum.

The EMpower scheme aims to give environmental and earth science masters students who would not necessarily consider employment in the industry exposure to the nuclear sector through research project placements and other activities such as lecture days, visits and networking opportunities. It brings together students, academics, the nuclear industry and environmental agencies through its activities. The initiative is supported by the nuclear regulator, the environment agency and key players in the UK nuclear industry.

NUCLEONICA (www.nucleonica.net) is a new nuclear science web portal which provides a customisable, integrated environment and collaboration platform using the latest internet “Web 2.0” technology. NUCLEONICA is aimed at professionals, academics and students working in nuclear power, health physics and radiation protection, nuclear and radio‐chemistry, and astrophysics. A unique feature of the portal is the wide range of user friendly web‐based nuclear science applications. The portal is also ideal for education and training purposes and as a knowledge management platform to preserve nuclear knowledge built up over many decades.

The Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES) Nuclear Energy University Program Office assists the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) by administering its University Program. To promote accountable relationships between universities and the TIOs/TDOs, a process was designed and administered which includes two competitive Requests for Proposals (RFP’s) and two FOAs in the following areas: (1)Research and Development Grants, (2)Infrastructure improvement, and (3)Scholarships and Fellowships. NEUP will also host periodic reviews of university mission-specific RD sponsor workshops that inform universities of the Department’s research needs to facilitate continued alignment of university RD and conduct communications activities that foster stakeholder trust, serve as a catalyst for accomplishing NEUP objectives, and provide national visibility of NEUP activities and accomplishments. Year to date efforts to achieve these goals will be discussed.

Over the course of the 2009 Federal Fiscal Year the United States (U.S.) Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in partnership with the Departments of Defense (DoD) and Energy (DOE), is continuing existing programs and introducing new programs designed to maintain a highly qualified, enduring workforce capable of performing the technical nuclear forensics mission. These student and university programs are designed to recruit the best and brightest students, develop university faculty and research capabilities, and engage the national laboratories in fields of study with application in nuclear forensics. This comprehensive effort constitutes the National Nuclear Forensics Expertise Development Program.

A stakeholder needs assessment, carried out under the EU-EURAC and EU-ENEN-II projects, clearly showed that, at the European level, there are a significant and constant need for post-graduates with skills in radiochemistry, radioecology, radiation dosimetry and environmental modelling and a smaller, but still important, demand for radiobiologists and bio-modellers. Most of these needs are from government organizations. If only the nuclear industry is considered, then the largest demand is for radio chemists and radiation protection dosimetry experts. Given this spectrum of need and existing capacity in the areas of radiobiology it was concluded that the needs identified would be most efficiently met by three new degree programs: • European MSc Radiation Protection, • European MSc Analytical Radiochemistry, • European MSc Radioecology. All three master programs would be developed using the framework provided by the Bologna Convention and the lecturing could be shared among specialist Scientists within a network of collaborating universities. Therefore, educational plans have been developed for the above MSc degrees. These plans envisage each degree comprising three modules that are common to all the degrees (3 × 10 ECTS credits), three specialist modules (3 × 10 ECTS credits) and a research project (1 × 60 ECTS credits). The courses should be aimed, not only to fill the identified European post-graduate education gap in radiological sciences, but also to provide a modular structure that is easily accessed by stakeholders for CPD training. It is anticipated that the European Masters will meet the academic training requirements of qualified experts”, as defined by the European Commission and the IAEA. At the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) a pilot MSc in Radioecology has successfully been initiated in collaboration with UK and France.

The need for engineers and scientists who can ensure safe and secure use of nuclear energy is large in Sweden and internationally. Chalmers University of Technology is therefore launching a new 2-year master´s program in Nuclear Engineering, with start from the autumn of 2009. The program is open to Swedish and foreign students. The program starts with compulsory courses dealing with the basics of nuclear chemistry and physics, radiation protection, nuclear power and reactors, nuclear fuel supply, nuclear waste management and nuclear safety and security. There are also compulsory courses in nuclear industry applications and sustainable energy futures. The subsequent elective courses can be chosen freely but there is also a possibility to choose informal tracks that concentrate on nuclear chemistry or reactor technology and physics. The nuclear chemistry track comprises courses in e.g. chemistry of lanthanides, actinides and transactinides, solvent extraction, radioecology and radioanalytical chemistry and radiopharmaceuticals. The program is finished with a one semester thesis project. This is probably a unique master program in the sense of its combination of deep courses in both nuclear technology and nuclear chemistry.

A new Radiochemistry Education and Research Program was started at the Pennsylvania University, Radiation Science and Engineering Center. The program was initially supported by the Department of Energy, Radiochemistry Education Award Program (REAP). Using REAP funding as leverage we obtained support from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Department of Homeland Security, Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, various internal funding from PSU and other entities. The PSU radiochemistry program primarily addresses radiochemistry education and secondarily nuclear and radiochemistry research. The education program consists of bolstering our existing radiochemistry and related courses; Nuclear and Radiochemistry, Radiation Detection and Measurement, Radiological Safety and developing new courses, e.g., Laboratory Experiments in Applied Nuclear and Radiochemistry, and Nuclear Methods in Science. A new laboratory has been created with state of the art equipment for the Laboratory Experiments in Applied Nuclear and Radiochemistry course. We also plan to revitalize the nuclear and radiochemistry research programs. We established a state‐of‐the‐art Neutron Activation Analysis Laboratory and a gamma ray spectroscopy laboratory that has 10 stations including state‐of‐the‐art nuclear spectroscopy hardware and software. In addition, we embarked on an expansion plan that included building a new neutron beam hall and neutron beam ports with a cold neutron source. One of the reasons to have a cold neutron source is for the development of a prompt gamma activation analysis facility. A detailed description of PSU radiochemistry education and research program will be given and the future plans will be discussed.

Over the last thirty years, numerous reports and workshops have documented the decline in nuclear and radiochemistry education programs in the United States. Practitioners and stakeholders are keenly aware of the impact this decline will have on emerging technologies and critical research and are fully committed to rebuilding programs in nuclear and radiochemistry. The challenge is, however, to persuade our academic peers and administrations to invest in nuclear and radiochemistry education and training programs in view of multiple competing priorities. This paper provides an overview of the expansion of the radiochemistry program and the creation of the Nuclear Energy Technology Workforce (NETWork) Center at the University of Missouri, Columbia and the lessons learned along the way.