Engage with Nuclear Industry Leaders

Student chapters of nuclear organizations provide members with invaluable information, resources, and experiences. Meetings often involve guest speakers who are industry professionals. They also give students the opportunity to work on projects both within the school and in industry.

Student members have the chance to make connections and gain experience which will aid them in their pursuit of careers in the nuclear field.

A hallway at Kennesaw State University with yellow engineering banners and people walking in the background.
  • Please see the page of Kennesaw State University’s OwlLife and search for Kennesaw Nuclear Society for more information regarding upcoming events. For conferences, please see the Nuclear, Energy, Science and Engineering Laboratory website.

  • Kennesaw State University’s Marietta campus is home to the Kennesaw Nuclear Society (KNS). KNS is a nationally recognized student chapter of the American Nuclear Society (ANS). ANS is an international organization comprised of approximately 11,000 individuals throughout the nuclear sciences and engineering fields. It promotes the education and awareness of nuclear technology and its applications.

    KNS meetings, held throughout the semester, offer guest speakers such as, industry professionals and professors of nuclear sciences, and social events in the form of movie or dinner nights. The society offers tours of nuclear power plants within the southeast. The society has organized tours of the Bellefonte power plant in Alabama, Sequoyah plant in Tennessee, and Vogtle plant in Georgia. The society strives to provide students with new insight into what nuclear sciences are all about, and professional expertise to guide students for a successful career in the nuclear field. KNS is open to students of all majors and years. The student chapter members are encouraged to attend and interact with the ANS Atlanta Chapter at every meeting. If you are a current student and interested in joining, contact the Nuclear Engineering Program.

    For more information visit the KNS OwlLife page.

  • Kennesaw State University’s (KSU) Marietta Campus is also home to the student chapter of the Health Physics Society (HPS). HPS is an organization of nearly 5,000 professionals who specialize in radiation protection. The student chapter of the Health Physics Society at KSU is an organization focused on radiation safety and awareness, and is affiliated with the Atlanta Chapter who states, “The Health Physicists are dedicated to maximizing the beneficial use of radiation while minimizing the risk to people and the environment.”  The student chapter members are encouraged to attend and interact with the HPS Atlanta Chapter at every meeting. If you are a current student and interested in joining, contact the Nuclear Engineering Program.

    For more information visit the KNS OwlLife page.

    Every semester KSU’s Center for Nuclear Studies and ANS/HPS student organizations work to schedule site tours and trips. This allows students to take the knowledge gained in class lectures and applies it to real world examples and experiences. These trips often put to scale the importance and magnitude of the concepts that are taught within the classroom. For more information, contact one of our nuclear engineering faculty members or student officers to learn more.

  • Bellefonte is a nuclear power plant in Northeast Alabama. It was approximately 90% complete before the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) decided to stop construction. Construction, to date, has not been resumed. The plant is an invaluable resource for education and allows students to go into areas of a nuclear power plant which they would not be allowed to enter in an active or decommissioned plant. On the tour, students will get to see major components of a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) including the steam generators, turbines, generator, feed water pumps, and cooling towers. The tour also takes students through major building and areas such as the control room, turbine building, containment building, and the switchyard.
  • Vogtle Plant, located in Waynesboro, GA, has two pressurized wared reactors (Units 1 and 2) and two advanced pressurized water reactors (Units 3 and 4) under construction. Currently, Vogtle Plant’s Unit 3 and 4 are the only nuclear construction project in the U.S. These new units represent the first construction of nuclear reactors in more than 30 years. During peak construction, it has supported over 9,000 workers. Units 3 and 4 will come online in 2020 and 2021, respectively. These units are Westinghouse AP1000 with advanced safety systems that utilizes fewer pipes, valves, and pumps than current reactors. This leads to better safety, less maintenance, and lower operating costs. For more information, visit the Vogtle Plant page.
  • Sequoyah Plant has two pressurized water reactor units. Units 1 and 2 began commercial operation in 1981 and 1982, respectively. Unit 1 and 2 are licensed for operation through 2040 and 2041, respectively. Each unit produces 1,160 MW of electricity. Both units supply enough power for 1.3 million homes in the Tennessee Valley. Sequoyah Plant supports 1,000 full-time jobs. For more information, visit the Sequoyah Plant page.