Challenges and Opportunities for Today’s Math and Science Teachers and StudentsTimothy J. Leahy

Director, INL Nuclear Safety and Regulation Division

World Energy Demand Continues to Significantly Increase

Source: EIA IEO 2004

The increase is projected to be about 55 quads in industrialized countries alone over the next 25 years

1 quad is a mile-long coal train (11,000 tons) every 2 hours 24-7 for a year

World Energy Demand CrisisHuman Infrastructure

• 2001 NEI survey indicated the U.S. nuclear industry, as a whole, will need roughly 90,000 new employees over the next 10 years to sustain current industry activity levels.1

• The Nuclear Energy Institute’s Feb. 2006 survey showed nuclearenergy companiesmay lose anestimated 23,000workers over thenext five years, 40percent of all jobs inthe sector.2

Source: NEI

Math and Science Education

• From 1994-2001, enrollment in science and engineering graduate programs by United States citizens declined ten percent.

• Enrollments of foreign graduate students increased nearly 35 percent in U.S. universities.

• United States minorityenrollment increasedfrom 22 to 35 percent,the 26 percent dropamong white men and9 percent drop amongwhite women drove theoverall decline.Source: National Science Foundation

Math and Science Education

• The percentages of twelfth-grade students performing at or above the levels of Basic, at or above Proficient, and at Advanced were lower in 2005 than in 1996.

Source: Http://nationsreportcard.gov

Assessment year Below Basic At or above Basic

At or above Proficient At Advanced

1996 43% * 57% * 21% * 3% *

2000 48% 52% 18% 2%

2005 46%   54%   18%   2%  

* Significantly different from 2005.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. View complete data with standard errors for grade 12.

Trend in twelfth-grade NAEP science achievement-level performance

Education/Job Outlook

• All types of financial aid for Science and Engineering graduate students have increased over the last 20 years.1

• There are more jobs than ever before:– From 1998-2001, Westinghouse hired 200

engineers directly out of college. The company expected to hire another 80 in 2002.2

1983-2003   1998-2003

58% increase   19% increase

Education/Job Outlook

• The percentage of 24-year-olds in the United States with a science or engineering degree (5.7 percent) is nearly half that of Taiwan (11.1 percent), South Korea (10.9 percent) and the United Kingdom (10.7 percent).1

• By the end of 2008, it is predicted that some six million jobs requiring math and science skills will go unfilled simply because American youth won’t be qualified to hold them.2

Opportunities

• Space – NewHorizons/Nuclear Moon

• World Energy Crisis

• Next Generation NuclearPower Plants

• GNEP

New Horizons/The Moon

• Jan 19, 2006 New Horizons Launch to Pluto

– Exploration of the unknown

• ARES I & V – to the moon to stay

– Crew transportation

• 2014

– First lunar excursion

• Est. 2020

Source: NASA

NASA

• Average age of NASA workers and years of federal service

World Energy Crisis

Source: EIA IEO 2004

The World at Night

NGNP

• The Next Generation Nuclear Plant

• Will be built earliest in 2011

• Need for people toprovide power foreveryday life.

– TVs, computers,cars, lights,electricity

• Global Nuclear Energy Partnership

– Need for international cooperation of engineers/scientists to provide power for everyone. Urgent need for pursuit of energy future.

– Main objective is to counter proliferation concerns, but will have effect of much greater resource utilization.

– Includes call for small-scale reactors for less developed countries to access affordable, reliable and sustainable power.

Need for Small Reactors

• Designed for less developed countries with minimal nuclear power production infrastructure. Allows these nations to access affordable, reliable and sustainable power

• 50 – 350 MWe range

• Proliferation resistant andsimple design = minimalin-country infrastructure

• Electrical generationand potential for potablewater production

The Nuclear Option

• Nuclear is not the only option to alleviate our energy concerns, but we cannot succeed without it.

• Combination of electricity and Hydrogen production – NGNP.

• Power generation is the power of the next generation.