Doctoral Student Wins Department of Energy Award

Charles Folsom, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering at Utah State University, has been awarded a prize in the Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research Awards sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fuel Cycle Technologies. Folsom’s award is in the competition for students who attend universities with less than $600 million in 2012 R&D expenditures. His award-winning research paper, “Experimental Measurement and Numerical Modeling of the Effective Thermal Conductivity of TRISO Fuel Compacts,” was published in the Journal of Nuclear Materials in March 2015.

In order to be successful and retain its leadership role in nuclear technologies, the United States must foster creativity and breakthrough achievements to develop tomorrow’s nuclear technologies. The Department of Energy has long recognized that university students are an important source of breakthrough solutions and a key component in meeting its long-term goals.

The Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research Awards program was developed for this purpose.

The Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research Awards program is designed to award graduate and undergraduate students for innovative fuel-cycle-relevant research publications, to demonstrate the Department of Energy’s commitment to higher education in fuel-cycle-relevant disciplines and support communications among students and DOE representatives.

The program awarded 18 prizes in 2015 for student publications relevant to the nuclear fuel cycle. In addition to cash awards, award-winning students will have a variety of other opportunities.

For more information on the Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research Awards program, see its website.

Contact: Matt Jensen, 435-797-8170, matthew.jensen@usu.edu

Writer, Cathy Dixon, 806 651-3401