Florida International University’s Applied Research Center has been awarded $20 million in federal funding to help clean up Cold War-era nuclear testing sites in the United States over the next five years.
There are more than 100 federal sites associated with nuclear material production, waste storage and related research managed by the Department of Energy’s Office of Legacy Management.
The DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) – which awarded the contract – said the contract would focus on four areas of nuclear legacy cleanup:
- Radioactive waste processing
- Contaminated soil and groundwater remediation
- Nuclear facility decontamination and decommissioning
- Tailored information and artificial intelligence technologies
EM has been working to address the environmental legacy of nuclear weapons development and nuclear energy research for the past 35 years.
The public-private partnership with FIU advances EM’s efforts to protect the environment, support communities, and focus on safely to complete the mission sooner, the DOE said.
The agreement also focuses on workforce development and developing technologies that address real world challenges in the nuclear sector.
Undergraduate and graduate STEM students will be integrated into hands-on research with government agencies, private industry, and the international nuclear community.
The contract took effect on March 1.
The U.S. conducted 1,054 nuclear tests between 1945 and 1992, with most occurring at the Nevada National Security Site and the Pacific Proving Grounds, according to the Office of the Under Secretary of War.
While major testing was concentrated, at least 10 other distinct locations in the U.S. — including sites in Alaska, Colorado, Mississippi and New Mexico — were used for nuclear detonations.
Photo from CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=158587596
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