Oregon State University maintains one of the nation’s leading programs in radioecology, the study of the long-term impact of radioactive isotopes on the environment. Research on this topic goes back to the 1950s when agricultural scientists at OSU and elsewhere in the United States were confronting questions about how to manage radioactivity in the environment.
Whether it was an olive branch signaling a new era of peace or a trumpet sounding the coming of World War III, the Iran nuclear accord has opened a new chapter for the United States in security and international policy.
Linus Pauling, Oregon State’s most famous alumnus, spent the latter years of his life warning the world about the humanitarian and environmental threats posed by nuclear weapons. His international activism earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962.
A new production by GreenScienceOregon (an environmental science TV show sponsored by OSU, Portland State University, Solar World and Oregon BEST) delves into OSU research on passively safe, modular nuclear technology.
Faculty and students are researching the next generation of nuclear power: high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, modular reactors that minimize operator error, new ways to reprocess and recycle spent fuel, uber-sophisticated computer simulations, remote radiation detection and other forward-looking technologies.