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Click on the cover to view the report. Dear Friends: Welcome to the second annual report for the Nuclear and Radiological Engineering and Health Physics (NRE/HP) program of the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. This report is for the past academic year, summer 2002 through spring 2003. The NRE/HP program has been part of the School of Mechanical Engineering for twenty years. During the recent past, we have experienced an increase in freshman enrollment and student quality, as well as increased interest on the part of industry in hiring graduates from the program. Early in 2002, the faculty developed a strategic plan for the NRE/HP program, which they began to implement during the past academic year. This was also the first year the program completed with a chair, Farzad Rahnema, and as an autonomous unit within the School of Mechanical Engineering. Also, we hired Dr. Cassiano de Oliveira to join the NRE faculty to add strength to the program. Our programs continue to evolve and grow. The nuclear engineering faculty proposed phasing out the Master of Science in Health Physics and introducing a Master of Science in Medical Physics to provide broader coverage of the utilization of radioactive materials in the nuclear power industry and in the medical arena. The proposal involves a joint effort with Emory University, which will provide three of the courses as well as student internships. The degree will be from Georgia Tech. We hope that this program will be approved by the Board of Regents sometime in the fall of 2003. I hope you find this report informative and that you will help us advance the program. Please address any comments about this report or the program to me at (404) 894-3200 or by e-mail to [email protected]. Ward O. Winer, Ph.D. Eugene C. Gwaltney, Jr. Chair of the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering September 2003 Contacts This report is published annually in the fall by the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. For Contents more information about the undergraduate and graduate degree programs in nuclear and Greetings From The radiological engineering, please Associate Chair contact us by any of the following Activities methods: Programs Students Letter Dr. Farzad Rahnema, Associate Chair of the Enrollment Woodruff School and Scholarships Chair of the NRE Program Degrees George W. Woodruff Faculty School of Mechanical Staff Engineering Research Centers Georgia Institute of Seminars Technology Atlanta, Advisory Board Georgia 30332-0405 Phone 404-894-3731 Fax 404-894-3733 farzad.rahnema@nre. E-mail gatech.edu Online http://www.nre.gatech.edu INFORMATION Detailed information about the nuclear and radiological engineering/health physics program may be found online at http://www.nre.gatech.edu. In addition, copies of all our publications may be obtained online or by requesting a copy from the School. New this year are: Nuclear Engineering and Health Physics at Georgia Tech (1958-1990), 2003-2004 Facts About the Woodruff School, 2003-2004 Undergraduate Handbook, and the 2003-2004 Graduate Handbook. Copyright 2003 George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering GWW/ RG0102003 Dear Colleagues and Friends: Welcome to the second edition of the annual report for the Nuclear and Radiological Engineering and Health Physics (NRE/HP) program. First, I want to welcome Dr. Cassiano de Oliveira to Georgia Tech. He joined our program in August of this year as Professor of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering. He brings an expertise in the areas of computational radiation transport and radiative transfer. I am pleased to report that our program has seen an increase in graduate and undergraduate student enrollment, as well as significant progress in the implementation of our strategic plan over the past academic year. We currently have 95 students in the undergraduate program, and 38 students in the graduate programs. This fall, the average SAT score and GPA of the 28 entering freshmen are 1344 and 3.71, respectively. The average GRE score and GPA of the ten entering graduate students are 1975 and 3.74, respectively. In the past year, the NRE faculty has made the following progress in implementing the strategic plan: ● Created both a Certificate and a Minor in Nuclear and Radiological Engineering that is available to all engineering students; ● Revised the Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering program to be more flexible; it is now possible for well- motivated students to complete the new degree requirements within one year; ● Increased our graduate and undergraduate recruiting efforts; ● Created a new computer cluster in the Neely Nuclear Research Center with eleven PCs as well as peripherals, such as printers and backup systems; ● Upgraded the classroom computer dedicated to electronic presentations; ● Upgraded the nuclear radiation detection laboratory to accommodate fifteen students simultaneously, in anticipation of increased enrollment; ● Improved the academic advisement process. The Academic Office of the Woodruff School was remodeled to better accommodate students. One additional staff member and a Director of Student Services were hired. Furthermore, each student is now assigned a faculty advisor in addition to the academic advisor. A formal letter from the chair of the program is sent to inform new students of their assigned academic and faculty advisors; ● Formed a separate advisory board for the NRE/HP program. This board has strong representation from industry, national laboratories, and universities; and ● Added a new faculty member, Dr. Cassiano de Oliveira, this fall. The search for an additional faculty member will be conducted when relief from reduced state funding becomes available. The undergraduate program was evaluated by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) during Fall Semester 2002. The EAC reported that the program is well supported with faculty, staff, and funding to ensure continued education and training of students who will be able to contribute to the nuclear industry in a variety of areas. This is a strong program that demonstrates the use of constituent feedback to improve its existing processes. I am also very pleased that our faculty has proposed to create a new Master of Science Degree Program in Medical Physics (M.S.M.P.) starting in Fall Semester 2004. If approved by the Institute and the Board of Regents, this will be a joint program between Nuclear and Radiological Engineering at Georgia Tech and the Radiation Oncology Department of Emory University. Students will be admitted into the program by the Woodruff School, register at Georgia Tech, and receive the M.S.M.P. degree from Georgia Tech. Emory will offer two new courses and co-teach an existing NRE course. Emory will also arrange for the students to be placed at Emory hospitals and clinic to gain the required 400 hours of clinical experience in radiation therapy, nuclear medicine, and diagnostic imaging. The new program will be offered through distance learning in addition to the traditional on-campus delivery method. I hope that you find this report both interesting and useful. Please address any questions and comments about this report and the program to me at (404) 894-3718 or by e-mail to farzad. [email protected]. Farzad Rahnema Associate Chair of the Woodruff School Chair of the Nuclear and Radiological Engineering/ Health Physics Program September 2003 Fall Picnic The NRE program sponsors two get-togethers for students and faculty: a picnic in the fall and a cookout in the spring. The picnic is an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students in the NRE/HP program to meet and to get to know the faculty and staff. Dr. Ward O. Winer, School Chair, and other members of the Woodruff School Administrative Office, the Finance Office, and the Academic Office, who interact with persons in the NRE/HP program attend the event, which is held near the Neely Research Center. Family Weekend Family Weekend is a chance for friends and family members to visit campus and attend a football game. We again hosted an open house in the fall so that visitors could tour our facilities, listen to a program about undergraduate education in the Woodruff School given by Professor Ray Vito, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies, meet and ask questions of Ms. Kimberly Blue, Undergraduate Academic Advisor, see displays by some of our student competition groups, and meet other student leaders from the student chapters of professional societies and other organizations. Seniors Honors Dinner Each fall the Woodruff School sponsors a dinner for outstanding seniors in mechanical engineering and nuclear and radiological engineering who are eligible to attend graduate school based on their academic record (a grade point average of 3.5 and above). The dinner is the annual kick-off to the graduate student recruiting season. About 75 people attended the event and listened to faculty members explain the reasons to attend graduate school. Information was also available about fellowship opportunities, financial aid, and study-abroad programs. ABET Visit and Evaluation The Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Program had its ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) visit at the end of October 2002. This visit went well and the exit interview revealed these program strengths: the program has dramatically increased the number of undergraduate students through a rigorous recruiting program; faculty members are supportive of the students; students can participate in co- op and undergraduate internship programs; and the major design experience is excellent. A number of program concerns were addressed. At the end of August 2003, Dean of Engineering Don Giddens reported that the official ABET report had arrived and all of the reviewed programs at the Institute were accredited. The new ABET reports appear on our web site in PDF form (see Undergraduate Programs).