Welcome!
On the perimeter of the Oregon State University campus you will find a building where innovation and inspiration flourish.
This collaborative community, home to more than 200 diverse students and faculty, is passionate about nuclear and radiation research.
In addition to a 1.1 MW TRIGA research reactor, the OSU Radiation Center is also the home to the Department of Nuclear Engineering & Radiation Health Physics.
Side by side students, faculty and Radiation Center staff work together on research projects that have garnered national attention.
Welcome to Oregon State University's Department of Nuclear Engineering & Radiation Health Physics.
-- José N. Reyes, Jr.
Department Head & Professor
Want to know more?
Top 10 Reasons to Check Out NERHP at OSU
What is Radiation Health Physics?
What is Nuclear Engineering?
What is Radiochemistry?
What is Medical Physics?
What Do Nuclear Engineers and Health Physicists Do?
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What is Radiation Health Physics? |
Radiation Health Physics (RHP) is an interdisciplinary study of the physical aspects of radiation. Health physicists control the beneficial uses of radiation while protecting people and the environment from potential hazards.
The RHP program at OSU prepares students for professional careers in the field of radiation protection. Employment opportunities in the field include: federal, state, and local environmental protection agencies; medical companies; utility companies; hospitals; universities; national laboratories; and private consulting. Curriculum. |
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What is Nuclear Engineering?
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Nuclear engineers design, build and operate complex systems involving radiation and/or radioactive materials.
Employment opportunities in the field include: nuclear utilities; reactor and nuclear fuel vendors; national laboratories; universities; federal agencies (NASA, Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, etc.) and private consulting. |
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What is Radiochemistry?
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Radiochemistry is an interdisciplinary applied science that explores both the radioactive and chemical characteristics of elements and compounds to address technical needs in many areas, including the nuclear material science, waste treatment and disposal, environmental and biomedical applications.
Radiochemistry is a research program available to Ph.D. students in Nuclear Engineering or Radiation Health Physics. Questions about OSU's Radiochemistry Program? Click here. |
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What is Medical Physics?
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An applied branch of physics concerned with the application of the concepts and methods of physics to the diagnosis and treatment of human disease. It is allied with medical electronics, bioengineering, and health physics.
Medical physicists contribute to the effectiveness of radiological imaging procedures by assuring radiation safety. They contribute to development of therapeutic techniques (e.g., prostate implants, stereotactic radiosurgery), collaborate with radiation oncologists to design treatment plans, and monitor equipment and procedures to insure that cancer patients receive the prescribed dose of radiation to the correct location.
NERHP, in partnership with the Department of Radiation Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), will begin offering a graduate program in Medical Physics in 2009. For more information about this program, click here. |
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What Do Nuclear Engineers and Health Physicists Do? |
Nuclear engineering is not just about power plants.
As a nuclear engineer, you may:
- Improve food safety, using radiation pasteurization
- Develop steady-state and pulsed-power plasma systems
- Design and build power systems for space exploration and propulsion
- Develop new ways to use radioisotopes for medical diagnostics and therapy
- Improve medical imaging
- Develop new ways to recycle spent fuel from nuclear reactors
- Enhance oil and gas exploration with radioisotopes
- Design methods to secure and verify excess nuclear weapons material
- Design, build and operate advanced power systems for the U.S. naval fleet
- Develop arms control and non-proliferation technologies
Health Physics is the profession devoted to protecting people and their environment from potential radiation hazards.
As a health physicist, you may:
- Use field sampling technologies to measure radioactivity in water, soil, and air
- Assess the environmental impact of released radioisotopes
- Design radiation-detection equipment
- Assists engineers and scientists in designing new radiation-control programs
- Provide radiation protection training and advice
- Measure and characterize radiation dosage for cancer treatment
- Help establish future rules and regulations regarding the manufacture, use, and disposal of radioactive material
- Recommend strategies for environmental cleanup
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