PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT | GRADUATE PACKAGING PROGRAMME
Building nuclear packaging skills
In partnership with the DOE Packaging Certification Program and its national laboratories the University of Nevada provides working professionals with foundational nuclear material packaging skills, professional networks, and accredited university credentials.
By Mustafa Hadj Nacer, Research Associate Professor and Miles Greiner, Foundation Professor, both
from the University of Nevada, Reno, Lawrence Gelder, Docket Manager, US Department of Energy (Contractor) and Ellen Edge, Acting Packaging University Lead, DOE Office of Packaging and Transportation.
Right: Megan Higley (currently at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) and Cody Zampella (currently at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) completed the Nuclear Packaging Projects elective course.
The importance of nuclear materials in today’s economy is growing. They are used for reliable, on-demand, carbon-free electric power, naval vessel propulsion, national defence, medical diagnostics and treatment, and many other advanced applications. However, when not being used, these hazardous materials require specialised performance- based nuclear packaging for safe storage, transport, and ultimate disposal. The nuclear materials sector needs networks of individuals
who can design, use, maintain, manage, and regulate the use of these packages while assuring quality, security, and safeguarding practices are always followed. Nuclear packaging engineers, analysts, operators, project managers, and regulators require specialised skills and must interact with a variety of professionals to perform this work.
Packaging University Since 1986, the US Department of Energy (DOE) Packaging Certification Program (PCP) has supported “Packaging University.” It currently offers 21 one- and two-week courses on all aspects related to Type-B and fissile material package
28 | July 2025 |
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certification (eight of which are new since 2022). Courses are taught by subject matter experts at Argonne, Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest, Sandia, and Savannah River National Laboratories, as well as other authorised locations. Each year, packaging engineers, analysts, operators, and
project managers from industry, national labs, and government agencies from within and outside the United States attend these high-quality hands-on courses. The courses are offered in person to help professionals from a variety of organisations network with instructors and each other. This networking is essential because packaging challenges are multi-disciplinary and may require a range of experiences to solve.
The Nuclear Packaging Graduate Program Innovation, growth, and workforce succession planning in the nuclear sector are leading to strong demand for professionals who can creatively address complex nuclear packaging challenges. In 2013, DOE PCP began working with the University of Nevada, Reno, (UNR) to develop the Nuclear
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