NNSA News:WASHINGTON, D.C. ― The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) has named Cornell University and the University of Notre Dame as two of the Stewardship Science Academic Alliances (SSAA) Centers of Excellence program funding recipients for their work in High Energy Density Physics and Radiochemistry.
“These grants insure a pipeline of the next generation of scientists in areas of relevance to the stockpile stewardship mission,” said Dr. Kathleen Alexander, assistant deputy administrator for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation in NNSA’s Office of Defense Programs.
Cornell’s Multi-University Center of Excellence for Pulsed-Power-Driven High Energy Density Science, led by Drs. David Hammer and Bruce Kusse, will receive a $15M grant to study high energy density plasmas produced by pulsed power generators. This research will investigate the properties of dense, high temperature plasmas in the presence of strong magnetic fields.
Notre Dame’s Actinide Center of Excellence, led by Dr. Peter Burns, will receive a $12.5M grant for research in nuclear chemistry and radioactive materials through the integration of physical experiments and computer simulation.
Advanced experimental activities are supported through centers of excellence where students are trained in key areas of stewardship science.
Launched in 2002, the SSAA program supports areas of fundamental research and development that are relevant to NNSA’s stockpile stewardship mission and works to recruit the next generation of highly-trained technical scientists and engineers for the Nuclear Security Enterprise.
