COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Nuclear energy may play a major role in powering the future, and Texas A&M University staff say the future is already taking shape in the Brazos Valley.
Texas A&M hosted a nuclear open house, giving community leaders a closer look at how nuclear energy is impacting their region and places across the country.
As demand for reliable, clean energy grows, especially with the rise of data centers and AI, nuclear power is being considered a long-term solution, said Dr. David Staack, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research at Texas A&M.
“AI and the data centers associated with them, there’s a demand for large amounts of power and stable power,” Staack said. “And so as we think about where that power is coming from, what is a reliable, clean, stable, always-on power source. Nuclear power is that.”
Texas A&M’s Department of Nuclear Engineering, the largest in the United States, is at the center of advancing nuclear technology. Dr. Ayman Hawari, head of the department at Texas A&M, said the university’s goal is to help the public understand nuclear energy’s role in society.
“Nuclear engineering is the discipline that handles the development of everything nuclear and its application to the betterment of humanity,” Hawari said. “Nuclear technology in general is just like any other technology. We use it to advance the aims of society.”
The work of the nuclear engineering department is moving from the classroom to the real world. Texas A&M’s RELLIS campus is expected to host advanced reactors that will put power on the grid.
“What we’ve done is seek to site demonstration reactors and new, first-of-a-kind commercial nuclear reactors on the RELLIS campus,” Staack said. “So two companies here today, Last Energy and Terrestrial Energy, are both seeking to site nuclear reactors on the RELLIS campus in collaboration with us.”
Texas A&M is also helping shape the industry’s future by educating the next generation of nuclear engineers. The department offers classes and hands-on experience for undergraduates to PhD candidates.
“Texas A&M has been a tremendous university in terms of developing the workforce to support the needs of nuclear energy and nuclear engineering around the country,” Hawari said. “We are contributing nuclear know-how and talent at an unprecedented level nationally.”
Leaders say they hope the open house left leaders with a better understanding of nuclear technology and why Texas A&M is ready to lead its future.
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