GRADUATE PACKAGING PROGRAMME | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Packaging Graduate Program (NPGP). The programme’s goal is to help professionals rapidly enter and advance in nuclear packaging, transportation security and safeguards, and related fields. It also helps nuclear materials management and other organisations support the professional development of their highly engaged staff members. To achieve these goals, the programme offers the Graduate
Certificate in Nuclear Packaging (GCNP), which focuses on design, review, and use of packages for Type B and fissile materials, including spent fuel. It also offers the Graduate Certificate in Transportation Security and Safeguards (GCTSS), which focuses on both US and international technical requirements and challenges around protecting, controlling, and accounting for nuclear/radioactive materials during their transport. These nine-unit graduate certificates are practice-based, accredited university credentials that require less time commitment than research-based MS or Ph.D. degrees. Participants must already possess a bachelor’s degree to enrol. Both graduate certificates require four weeks (four units)
of required Packaging University courses offered by the national laboratories. Students chose five units of electives based on their interests and needs. Electives are chosen from a combination of one-unit (one week) Packaging University courses. Students may also choose NP 640 – Nuclear Packaging Projects, a semester-long three-unit project performed at their place of work and mentored by a site supervisor and UNR faculty members. They may also choose ME 672 – Introduction to Nuclear Packaging, another semester-long three-unit online course. Since the NPGP began in 2016 (with interruptions during
the COVID pandemic) professionals have earned approximately 250 units (10,000 hours) in Packaging University courses. Nine professionals have completed Nuclear Packaging Projects at their workplace, and eight have earned Graduate Certificates in Nuclear Packaging. The UNR elective courses are invaluable. Commenting,
Brandon Kendrick, a Nuclear Facility Safety Engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) said: “Participating in NP 640 – Nuclear Packaging Projects was an excellent opportunity to apply my experience and theoretical knowledge to important projects with real world impact. Through this course, I worked on two key documents intended for submission to the appropriate regulatory agency. The project provided great insight into what is required to develop and guide these documents through the review and approval process. In addition, my experience afforded me the opportunity to meet and interface with nuclear packaging engineers and regulators. Overall, it has been a great opportunity to improve my knowledge in nuclear packaging while networking with experienced professionals in the industry. I would highly recommend this course to anyone interested in a career in nuclear packaging.” Maureen Searles, another ORNL Nuclear Facility Safety
Engineer said: “ME 673 – Introduction to Nuclear Packaging was an incredibly valuable experience that combined foundational knowledge of nuclear materials transport with practical skills in engineering analysis. What made the course stand out was the integration of Ansys instruction, which gave me experience in modelling and simulations”. She continued: “The course provided me with a clear understanding of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s regulatory framework, packaging design principles, and commercial nuclear practices – all while building my
Left: A cutaway view of a Model 9975 package used for nuclear materials.
confidence in using industry-standard simulation tools. The professor was knowledgeable, approachable, and always available to help me when I needed it. This course offers an excellent blend of theory and application for the nuclear packaging field”. The certificate curricula provide participants with the depth
and breadth of knowledge and skills they need to address complex packaging challenges, networks of professionals with whom they can brainstorm, and an accredited university graduate credential that helps employers and others identify them as well-prepared practitioners. Professionals can complete either certificate by spending as few as four non-contiguous weeks at national laboratory courses. This flexibility makes the programme accessible to working professionals. Students have six years to complete the programme but generally complete it much faster. Kelly Hansen, Transportation Safety programme manager
in Argonne National Laboratory’s Nuclear and Waste Management division completed her GCNP in 2020. Hansen said: “The practical knowledge I gained was invaluable. What attracted me to the programme was the condensed nature of the courses – I could immediately advance my skills in support of Argonne’s activities in the transportation of Type B and fissile material packages.” Hansen noted the programme appeals to a diverse community of engineers, analysts and users in the US and other countries. According to Megan Higley, Ph.D., a mechanical engineer at
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory who completed a Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Packaging in 2022: “The certificates programme in nuclear packaging is really unique – it’s like a combination of a seminar, a conference and a networking event, with the benefit of a university graduate credential at the end.” ■
Professionals and organisations that would like to learn more about the programme can search online for the University of Nevada, Reno Nuclear Packaging Graduate Program, or email:
NPGP@unr.edu
www.neimagazine.com | July 2025 | 29
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