r/NuclearEngineering

In 1987 I tried to build a Chart of the Nuclides on a 9-inch Mac. Hand-typed isotope data from the Table of Isotopes. The screen was too small and I gave up.

In 2026 I built it properly — 3,386 nuclides, live IAEA decay data, pan/zoom canvas, magic number lines, half-life color scale. AI-assisted development made the gap between "I could imagine this" and "this exists" much shorter than it used to be.

Almost 40 years from inception to completion. Some projects take a while.

nuclides.alanhalley.com

Any reviews here for the graduate program under UNENE at Ontario Tech? I’m a mid energy professional who already has a terminal degree in energy engineering and power systems. Wondering if this is worth the money (CAD 2250 per term for 6 terms). Looking to learn aspects of nuclear energy and how it compares into other energy types.

Thanks in advance.

So for a bit of context, I'm an international student and I've been accepted to Imperial College London for their 4 year Meng program in materials science and engineering, and I've also gotten into UWisconsin-Madison in the US for nuclear engineering directly. I've been fond of fission reactor analysis and design for a while, but I'm also interested in getting into fusion.

I'm confident that I wish to pursue nuclear engineering directly as a degree - but there's the dilemma. I think that with a degree at Imperial, I might have more employment opportunities especially internationally, but that may also be limited since it's not exactly a nuclear engineering degree, so I'm not sure how much it would actually help for employment in the field. Also I'm not sure how many opportunities I would have to actually build my resume with nuclear-related activities of my interest. I've heard that materials science at imperial isn't a very well taught course, so again I'm doubtful of whether I should really go for it

With the US, I'm aware their nuclear industry is better grounded, and maybe I'd have more meaningful opportunities for internships etc. at UWisconsin. But again, the debate is whether I should value a non-direct course from a more renowned college or a course that's specific to my interests at a less known college. Also, how would the two choices affect my employment opportunities both in the US and abroad? If anyone could tell me more about UW's nuclear engineering program as well I'd highly appreciate it.

I'm really not sure which one to choose right now. I've heard UW's program is well-established, while I'm not sure how good Imperial's program is since I can't really find anyone online who's done the mat. science with nuclear engineering option

Is nuclear engineering good for someone like me who is not good at math

Hi everybody. I am Guatemalan and totally blind since birth and I would like to study nuclear engineering, it's one of my main career options when I graduate high school next year. I was just wondering if any of you know if that is an accessible major for somebody that has my condition or what would be the implications, thank you very much in advance. Blessings.

i need some advice. i am a chemical sciences student that takes physics as an option module. i chose chemistry as a safe choice, even though i wanted to get into nuclear engineering/physics. i didn’t have access to a teacher for leaving cert physics or applied maths, so i couldn’t do those subjects in school. my maths teachers were also non-existent, which affected my confidence, even if i caught up everyone in trinity. this made me put physical sciences as second on my CAO and chemical sciences as first (as a safe choice).

however, i really hate organic chemistry and i get nightmares thinking about doing it again later on in my degree (I’m only in first year). i like other aspects of chemistry but i don’t think i’d like to specialise in any chemistry field - not even radiochemistry or nuclear chemistry. i am more interested in anything to do with electromagnetic waves, radioactivity, radiation and nuclear engineering (i dont really have any other interests). i’ve been dreaming of working in a nuclear power plant since i was 13 and i always knew i would get a nuclear physics/engineering masters (or maybe even phd) abroad and work in that country later in life.

i think i’d rather do physics but this decision is irreversible once i make it, and i am really unsure on what to do. i also feel like i might not be smart enough for this kind of challenge. chemistry is slightly easier sometimes, but learning things off all the time is really starting to do my head in and i prefer studying for physics exams, no matter how scared i am. my tutor didn’t give me any helpful advice, and a lecturer (that was also originally a chemistry student that switched to physics) brushed me off.

nanoscience as a specialisation would be the safe choice for 3rd and 4th year, but i already made a safe choice and it is making me quite confused and stressed.

i have choice, since i can get into nuclear with a degree in chemistry, physics or nanoscience. i don’t think i’d like a nanoscience specialisation to be honest; it focuses more on materials and i HATED material physics as a class this semester. i’m thinking more and more of switching to physical sciences and then choosing the pure physics moderatorship for 3rd and 4th year.

i’ll get a masters anyways so it might not matter too much, but i still don’t know if i want to tolerate 3rd and 4th year chemistry - which could also potentially make it harder for me to get the master i want.

any advice, pretty please? :(

I know that this subreddit is more for the industry than the education, but I don't know what to do really.

Nuclear Engineering is the one thing I am passionate about. I've been dedicated to outreach and service within Nuclear, and I've felt so grateful to be in an incredible college program studying nuclear engineering. I got a research job almost immediately during my first semester at University, and I've just fallen in love with every part of it. It feels like after years of searching, I finally found the thing I wanted to do.

Then, I started to get sick. It started out small in the fall of my freshman year, but it escalated very quickly to the point that I was missing weeks at a time because I couldn't go 15 minutes without throwing up from the intense pain I was in. I went to a doctor, and they found something concerning. They performed a surgery at the beginning of this semester to remove it and placed in a surgical implant to help me recover.

I ended up fixing the issue of me getting sick, but I ended up being allergic to a component in the surgical implant. I knew about this allergy prior to the surgery, and it was marked on my file, but it was unfortunately overlooked. The allergic reaction, due to its nature, caused me to get migraines, nausea, light sensitivity, skin rashes, hearing impairment, anxiety, and experience a cognitive decline. These are extremely common symptoms of a reaction to this specific component. Back to the hospital I went, but at this point, it'd already been two and a half months of these issues.

I spoke to my counselors, who agreed with me that this semester was not recoverable, and that even if I got As on everything after, I'd still get straight Cs. They recommended a medical withdrawal because my performance was not accurately being reflected due to my illness. So, I filed for one and got another surgery to remove the implant. Within 48 hours, the symptoms had all cleared up, and I am currently doing great. I've seen 5 doctors in multiple different fields, and all have cleared me to return to school in the fall.

The issue is that my University has prohibited me from returning. Their reasoning is because anxiety was a symptom of the surgical implant, I am not allowed to return until I have an official diagnosis of anxiety from a psychiatrist, am on medication for anxiety for a full year, and continue all of the medications that I was on at the time of my withdrawal. I asked if the surgical implant counts as a medication, they said yes. I told them it was removed as it was the cause of my problems, and asked for the terms to be appended. They said these were the standard terms assigned to students who withdraw because of anxiety. I tried to tell them that I did not withdraw because of anxiety, but they said that I can either abide by the terms they assigned to the letter, or I can deal with an expulsion.

This is devastating. I have two years of research on a project under my belt, I was supposed to publish my first paper in September, but I'm not allowed to return to the school that I was doing research at. I've spoken to everyone I can, but no one can help me. And because Nuclear Engineering isn't exactly the most common major, I can't transfer most of my credits to other Universities. Even so, I'm being forced to take a one-year gap from my learning now, even though my doctors cleared me. I spoke to the grad student that I work with on research, and he said there is no way he can leave my project unassisted for a year, and he must hire someone else to take my spot.

No one told me that this was a possibility. My counselors were all in agreement that since I would be healthy by May, I could return in the fall, but that the issue was simply that the semester did not accurately reflect my abilities. The point of the withdrawal was to give me an opportunity to focus on my health over my education, but now that my health is not concerning, I'm not even allowed to return to my education. I cannot continue on a medication I am allergic to. I've spoken to a psychiatrist and she said she's not going to medicate me for a condition I clearly don't have. I cannot abide by the terms in this contract even if I want to, and I do want to. My research means everything to me. My education means everything to me. Neither of my parents attended college, so me attending and performing well has been their biggest source of pride. But I'm being barred from returning to my school even though my doctors have cleared me, and I just feel so hopeless. I feel like there's no way I can ever be a nuclear engineer now, because I can't transfer my credits, and I can't afford another four years of college at another university.

I don't know what to do. I just feel like it's kind of over for me. I'm fighting the University as hard as I can, but it's just feeling like there's nothing I can do. I doubt any other Nuclear Engineers have ever been in my situation, but I just need some help. I feel like I'm being punished for having a life-threatening medical episode and being given conditions so specific that it's impossible for me to return.

Hello, I'm a mechanical Program Manager stuck at $90K in automotive manufacturing. 8 years experience, not seeing much growth in this industry.

Looking to transition to nuclear because the salaries are way better. I know UNENE offers a part-time M.Eng in nuclear that I could do on weekends while keeping my job.

My questions for people in the industry:

1. **Will UNENE M.Eng actually get me hired?** Or do OPG/Bruce Power only want people with nuclear co-ops and nuclear undergrad?

2. **Do career changers with zero nuclear experience get jobs?** I have 8 years mechanical/manufacturing experience but zero nuclear background.

Please don't judge - I'm being honest that this is about money and career growth, not passion for nuclear physics. My current industry has limited ceiling and I need better long-term prospects. Has anyone here done the UNENE program? Did you actually get a nuclear job after?

Hello everyone, I am a student at my local community college and am hoping to transfer fall ‘27. I have a love for nuclear engineering, particularly the design and testing of reactors, and want to know what sort of pathway I would need to do that. Currently I’m a ChemE major and I assume I will need a master’s to work on any reactor. I particularly want to work on reactors with an emphasis on naval propulsion. I would also want to know how universal this knowledge is if I want to work abroad outside the US.

hey, so i am writing a scene that basically has worker 1 ick sick (from something else) and was attacked by worker 2. worker 2 was sleeping on the job/passed out and attacked worker 3(killing him in the process). worker 2 runs away, somewhere in the reactor, and the cop character goes to deal with him. when he finds him, worker 2 has killed someone else.

i have no idea where to put this scene, my initial thought was a basement? but when i look over the diagrams, i am completely lost. so, what I need is: where worker 1 is talking to the cops, where the attacked to worker 1 could have happened, where worker 2 could have passed out and then attacked worker 3, followed by where in these spaces would worker 2 be hiding that would be interesting setting for a spooky/horror scene to chase and search for worker 2.

ive watched videos, but it's WAY over my head. i would also take private msgs if anyone wants to do that instead.

thanks in advance

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Does nuclear fusion happen when a particle has too much energy or not enough

I'm don't really know anything about it

I have always wanted to be an astronomer since I was 10, but learning of the bad pay makes me hesitant. A couple of years ago, I began having an interest in nuclear energy after I had an assignment where I had to convince my classmates to choose nuclear energy. That assignment, I would say, opened my eyes to all the propaganda I believed about nuclear energy. Before that, I unironically thought "oh but green goo."

My marks are in the low-high 90s, so my mark is definitely not a problem to me. Rn im close to finishing gr 10, so I still do have time to decide my profession, but I dont want to stay indecisive for too long. A pro is that the requirements for uni is the same courses for both of them. My plan was to go to uoft and study astrophysics and math, but ive done research and the best uni for nuclear energy is Ontario tech university. However, that would be too far and Im not sure whether I could afford residency. My parents are extremely supportive of whatever career I decide to choose. I know that most of the day-to-day life of a nuclear engineer is based off of coding and sitting on a desk, which I am fine with.

Perhaps the only reason why I am so indecisive is because the pay for an astronomer isn't well and getting a job in that profession is hard. In the future, I fear that it may be taken over by ai. I know that nuclear engineering is safe from that outcome and might have an even better pay by the time I graduate. Im just wondering which one I should choose. Any advice would be appreciated!!