Today, there are 94 nuclear reactors operating in the United States, more than in any other country in the world, and these units collectively provide nearly 20 percent of the nation's electricity. That is a major accomplishment, according to Dean Price, but he believes that our country needs much more out of nuclear energy, especially at a moment when alternatives to fossil fuel-based power plants are desperately being sought. He became a nuclear engineer for this very reason ' to make sure that nuclear technology is up to the task of delivering in this time of considerable need. 'Nuclear energy has been a tremendous part of our nation's energy infrastructure for the past 60 years, and the number of people who maintain that infrastructure is incredibly small,' says Price, an MIT assistant professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE), as well as the Atlantic Richfield Career Development Professor in Energy Studies. 'By becoming a nuclear engineer, you become...
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