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Virginia Tech once had its own nuclear reactor

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Virginia Tech once had its own nuclear reactor


The big room on the bottom flooring of Virginia Tech’s Robeson Corridor remains to be a room for science, which is apparent due to the digital consoles, wires, steel tanks and tubes that fill the house from its concrete flooring to its practically two-story-high ceiling.

However it is a room of historical past, too.

A big hook hangs from the ceiling, as soon as a part of an elaborate indoor crane operation now principally hidden within the nook of the broad room. Two giant, picket, swinging doorways that used to open to the outside now seal off an entrance to an adjoining constructing. This room, a big part of a constructing constructed in the course of the Chilly Battle, was constructed for a objective: to accommodate a nuclear reactor on the Virginia Tech campus.

For practically 25 years, from 1960 till 1985, Virginia Tech operated its very personal analysis reactor simply steps from the Drillfield the place hundreds of scholars handed, virtually all of them oblivious to the atomic analysis taking place contained in the Hokie Stone partitions of Robeson Corridor.

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“Lots of people on the town didn’t know that we even had a analysis reactor,” mentioned Mark Pierson, a retired nuclear engineering professor who arrived at Tech in 2007, when the college revived its nuclear program. He mentioned he realized the reactor’s historical past from different professors who had been at Tech when the machine was working.

Definitely, few people would have understood the experiments taking place contained in the 100,000-watt reactor in the course of the Chilly Battle when america made nuclear science a precedence for navy, power and nationwide safety points. From the Nineteen Forties by the Seventies, about 70 small reactors had been constructed for educating functions, with most of these constructed on school campuses throughout america.

Virginia Tech’s reactor, which began up in early 1960, was one of many first of its variety to be housed on a university campus. The College of Virginia additionally housed a educating reactor, which was shut down in 1998.

The plan was to ship a era of nuclear engineers and specialists into the world to construct a courageous new nuclear future. Then, these goals actually melted.

The Three Mile Island nuclear accident on March 28, 1979, when a reactor positioned alongside the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania partially melted down and despatched radiation into the air, grew to become the biggest nuclear-related disaster in america and elevated opposition to the nuclear business. Three Mile Island considerably stunted the expansion of nuclear-generated energy in america, which meant that the demand for nuclear engineers, like these finding out at Virginia Tech, evaporated. The accident on the Chernobyl nuclear plant within the Soviet Union (in what’s now part of Ukraine) in 1986, when a reactor exploded and launched radioactive gases into the environment that reached a number of international locations, was much more catastrophic.

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Again in Blacksburg, the nuclear engineering program folded in 1985 and the reactor was shut down and decommissioned. By 1988, the machine had been demolished and eliminated, its radioactive gas despatched to the Division of Vitality’s Savannah River web site in South Carolina for recycling and a number of the non-radioactive items and concrete buried deep within the college’s landfill off Costs Fork Street. Virginia Tech’s nuclear age seemed to be over.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed payments coping with his power plan throughout an look in March on the Vitality DELTA lab house on the Virginia Highlands Small Enterprise Incubator in Abingdon. Picture by Susan Cameron.

Now, although, with Gov. Glenn Youngkin and a number of Virginia politicians backing small modular reactors, presumably in Southwest Virginia, nuclear power would possibly get one other jolt within the commonwealth. Virginia Tech jumpstarted its nuclear engineering program in 2007 and its professors are urging extra funding in nuclear know-how.

Alireza Haghighat came to Virginia Tech from the University of Florida in 2011 to become director of Tech's relaunched nuclear engineering program. He has consulted Virginia governors and helped put together a consortium of nuclear industries and Virginia colleges to promote the study of nuclear engineering. Courtesy of Virginia Tech
Alireza Haghighat got here to Virginia Tech from the College of Florida in 2011 to turn out to be director of Tech’s relaunched nuclear engineering program. He has suggested Virginia governors and helped put collectively a consortium of nuclear industries and Virginia faculties to advertise the examine of nuclear engineering. Courtesy of Virginia Tech.

Though it’s fairly unlikely that Tech would ever home a reactor just like the one which used to sit down in Robeson Corridor, the college might construct microreactors, sufficiently small to be hauled in trailers, that would present energy in addition to schooling alternatives. Schools in different states are already doing this, mentioned Alireza Haghighat, the director of Tech’s nuclear engineering program who was dropped at Blacksburg in 2011 from the College of Florida.

Haghighat has suggested 4 totally different Virginia governors — two Democratic, two Republican — about nuclear points and helped develop the Virginia Nuclear Vitality Consortium Authority, which introduced power corporations along with Tech, UVa, Virginia Commonwealth College and Liberty College, to work for continued improvement of a statewide nuclear business.

“Lots of constructive issues are taking place,” Haghighat mentioned, including that Virginia faculties must end up extra nuclear engineering graduates to help business development.

“If we’re going to develop this know-how, we have to train it,” he mentioned. “We will’t borrow from different states.”

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A man likely identified as John T. Rogers, a Virginia Tech Ph.D student, sets up a Cockroft-Walton accelerator for an experiment that used Virginia Tech's nuclear reactor. The photo was taken from professor Andrew Robeson’s “Report on Utilization of Nuclear Materials on Loan from U.S. Atomic Energy Commission” published in December 1962. Courtesy of Virginia Tech Special Collections
A person probably recognized as John T. Rogers, a Virginia Tech doctoral scholar, units up a Cockroft-Walton accelerator for an experiment that used Virginia Tech’s nuclear reactor. The picture was taken from professor Andrew Robeson’s “Report on Utilization of Nuclear Supplies on Mortgage from U.S. Atomic Vitality Fee” revealed in December 1962. Courtesy of Virginia Tech Particular Collections.

A nuclear period

That was the plan 60 years in the past, too.

Virginia Tech affiliated itself with nuclear analysis taking place at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, within the Nineteen Forties, not lengthy after the positioning housed the Manhattan Undertaking, the top-secret undertaking that developed the atomic bombs that had been utilized in World Battle II.

Within the Nineteen Fifties, T. Marshall Hahn grew to become head of the physics division at Tech and pushed arduous for the college to turn out to be a frontrunner within the increasing discipline of nuclear analysis. Within the Sixties, Hahn grew to become certainly one of Virginia Tech’s most vital presidents by shepherding the college’s transformation from a rural, military-based, principally white, all-male school right into a broad-based, coeducational establishment that improved educational choices and dropped obligatory navy service for college kids. Throughout his time as a physics professor, Hahn and fellow professor Andy Robeson — whose father, Frank, was the namesake of Robeson Corridor — strengthened ties with Oak Ridge and landed a nuclear reactor simulator and later the full-fledged reactor, each machines believed to be the primary ever owned by a college.

Robeson Corridor, named for former division head Frank Leigh Robeson, was constructed within the late Nineteen Fifties with the big room on the bottom flooring particularly designed to accommodate the reactor. The reactor would come with uranium rods and reflectors fabricated from graphite that would stand up to excessive temperatures. The machine was thought-about a crucial reactor, which meant that it might generate self-sustaining chain reactions, the place neutrons slammed into atoms and prompted them to separate, the method referred to as fission. As atoms cut up, giant quantities of power are launched, power that could possibly be harnessed to function generators to create electrical energy. Tech’s reactor was restricted within the quantity of power it might produce.

This illustration shows the design of Virginia Tech's nuclear reactor, which was used by the university's physics and engineering departments from 1960 until 1985. The illustration was included in a report compiled by professor Andrew Robeson in 1962. Courtesy of Virginia Tech Special Collections
This illustration reveals the design of Virginia Tech’s nuclear reactor, which was utilized by the college’s physics and engineering departments from 1960 till 1985. The illustration was included in a report compiled by professor Andrew Robeson in 1962. Courtesy of Virginia Tech Particular Collections.

Previous images and drawings of the reactor reveal a grey, drab-looking, L-shaped “monolith,” as described by Doug Smiley, who was a radiation security officer at Virginia Tech when the reactor was nonetheless operational within the Nineteen Eighties. The reactor was like an enormous field, with strong gas parts inside surrounded by the graphite panels that mirrored neutrons again to the middle of the field, creating the nuclear reactions that college students studied. The reactor was cooled by water from a big tank.

Virginia Tech's nuclear reactor, which was cooled by a tank of water, was for teaching and research. Courtesy of Virginia Tech Special Collections
Virginia Tech’s nuclear reactor, which was cooled by a tank of water, was for educating and analysis.

Courtesy of Virginia Tech Particular Collections

The construction stood greater than 10 ft tall and included stairs and railings that allowed college students to climb atop the reactor. A close-by console — which, images from the Seventies, was outfitted with knobs, lights, switches, digital numbers, displays and different high-tech gadgetry — resembled the bridge of the usS. Enterprise from “Star Trek.” 

Regardless of its pretty imposing measurement and technical elements that had been bewildering to non-engineering varieties, Tech’s reactor was merely a educating device that actually created extra warmth than gentle.

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“All it generated was warmth, no electrical energy,” Smiley mentioned.

Virginia Tech's nuclear reactor, shown here in the 1970s, included thousands of pounds of concrete shields and generated heat instead of electricity. Courtesy of Virginia Tech Special Collections
Virginia Tech’s nuclear reactor, proven right here within the Seventies, included hundreds of kilos of concrete shields and generated warmth as a substitute of electrical energy. Courtesy of Virginia Tech Particular Collections.

Nonetheless, college students and employees had been alert to potential risks. A radiation monitor was put in in a classroom on the second flooring straight above the reactor — simply in case. No radiation was ever detected within the classroom, Smiley mentioned.

When the reactor began in January 1960, Tech college students had been capable of get hands-on coaching for turning into reactor operators. College students and professors ran experiments, studied neutrons and used the reactor to establish hint parts of supplies that had been being analyzed.

Tech college students used the reactor to carry out analysis for personal industries and for NASA, Smiley recalled.

The USA’ nuclear energy business was already waning earlier than Three Mile Island, as activists spoke out concerning the know-how’s radioactive dangers.

“Three Mile Island put the skids on loads of nuclear engineering packages,” Smiley mentioned, at the same time as he famous that america has 92 reactors nonetheless working.

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Virginia Tech even had its personal small-scale nuclear accident in 1971, which necessitated the evacuation of Robeson Corridor and the submitting of a prolonged investigation by the college that was given the alarming title “Report of the Nuclear Occasion of November 12, 1971.”

On that day, an object that was being studied grew to become caught contained in the reactor. Within the professors’ makes an attempt to dislodge the article, small quantities of radiation had been launched and the reactor’s emergency alarm sounded, prompting evacuation of the constructing.

In a follow-up report, professor Ronald Onega described your entire occasion and mentioned that he and at the least one different particular person had been despatched to the hospital due to their potential publicity to radiation. Onega informed an investigator that he had measured small quantities of radiation within the room. These quantities had been lower than what sufferers obtain throughout a chest X-ray.

After Tech shuttered its nuclear program in 1985, the reactor was eliminated in levels. Smiley mentioned employees used a diamond-tipped noticed to chop by the monolith’s base. The gas and the reactor’s guts had been shipped to services that dealt with radioactive waste. The non-radioactive items had been disposed of within the university-owned landfill after evaluate and approval of scientists from Oak Ridge and the Nuclear Regulatory Fee, Smiley mentioned.

Smiley mentioned that elimination of the reactor was an sad second for his boss, Keith Furr, who had been the director of the nuclear reactor facility in Robeson Corridor.

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“I can’t say that he confirmed actual unhappiness” concerning the reactor’s elimination, Smiley mentioned. “However all of us felt frustration that we needed to shut the reactor down.”

The nuclear reactor allowed for hands-on training for students and staff. Courtesy of Virginia Tech Special Collections
The nuclear reactor allowed for hands-on coaching for college kids and employees. Courtesy of Virginia Tech Particular Collections.

Again to the long run?

The Robeson Corridor room remains to be used for experiments, which embody testing radiation-detection gear, mentioned Jonathan Hyperlink, a physics professor at Tech who’s affiliated with the nuclear engineering program. He mentioned that no residual radiation from the reactor period stays. If there was, the gear being examined within the room would detect it.

“If we had radioactivity left over from a reactor, we wouldn’t be capable of do that gear testing right here,” Hyperlink defined. The units require a managed setting for correct measurements, which wouldn’t be attainable if the reactor had left behind radioactive footprints.

Hyperlink and Haghighat, the nuclear program director, are hopeful about the way forward for nuclear engineering science, and the potential for wider acceptance of nuclear-generated energy from the general public.

Two generations have been born for the reason that Three Mile Island accident. Haghighat thinks that youthful college students are excited concerning the prospects of nuclear energy being a part of a green-energy technique, alongside wind and photo voltaic, that might transfer the world previous coal and oil, the burning of which ends up in carbon-dioxide emissions which can be the chief reason behind human-created local weather change.

Even so, Haghighat mentioned that development of nuclear science packages has been sluggish, even at Tech. He mentioned that in 1978, the yr earlier than Three Mile Island, American universities had been dwelling to 99 nuclear engineering packages and 65 analysis reactors. At present, these numbers are 30 packages and 25 reactors.

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“You could possibly say we’re working at 30% capability,” Haghighat mentioned.

Virginia Tech’s nuclear packages are principally on the graduate degree, with an undergraduate minor additionally supplied. Twenty-five college students are enrolled in graduate and doctoral lessons, and 70 are working towards minors. This system has three and a half full-time academics.

“We have to improve that to between 12 and 20,” he mentioned.

The Virginia Normal Meeting took steps this yr in help of nuclear analysis by making a grant fund to encourage nuclear packages at universities and, after some political wrangling, approving the usage of state cash to help new power applied sciences that embody geothermal, superior wind and photo voltaic initiatives, and nuclear applied sciences.

Haghighat is aware of that nuclear analysis faces opposition from individuals who fear about security and nuclear waste and from potential political headwinds, particularly in terms of establishing small modular reactors in locations similar to Southwest Virginia.

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However he thinks there could be a day when Virginia Tech is dwelling to a nuclear reactor. Simply not an infinite one which requires a specifically designed room.

“Now we have vital alternatives if we’ve a microreactor,” he mentioned. “It might be huge for the college and for the state. The remainder of the nation would come work for us. ‘In case you construct it, they’ll come,’ the saying goes.”

For extra protection of the proposed nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia, discover all our tales right here.



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Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. Texas Tech

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Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. Texas Tech


The final game of the 2024 regular season is here. West Virginia will take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Lubbock this afternoon, looking for win No. 7. Can they get it? Here are our predictions for the game.

West Virginia’s pass defense is going to be tested today, with Behren Morton slinging it all over the place. Morton puts up big numbers, but a lot of his passes come out of the quick game with some shots mixed in. Tech plays at a very high-tempo and West Virginia has struggled against offenses that have turned it up a notch this season, most notably Pitt.

While Texas Tech’s pass defense is even worse than West Virginia’s, it doesn’t necessarily mean the Mountaineers will have their way through the air. Without Traylon Ray and Jaden Bray, WVU will be a little shorthanded at receiver, and unit as a whole has struggled to win versus man coverage all season long.

West Virginia can’t afford to let Texas Tech dictate the tempo and flow of this game. If they try to play to Tech’s speed, they’ll get boatraced. They have to do everything they can to hold onto the football and milk the clock to limit possessions.

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WVU hangs in, but Texas Tech comes out victorious.

Prediction record: 7-4.

Texas Tech is looking to secure its first eight-win regular season since 2009 on Saturday. The Red Raiders started the season 5-1 but have since dropped three of their last five games, although they did go into Ames and knock off an, a then, 11th-ranked Iowa State team.

West Virginia has seen more lows than highs this season, considering the expectations in and surrounding the program. However, the Mountaineers are determined to close out the regular season with a win.

Texas Tech has been really good in Lubbock at regular season finales and are 10-2, including an eight-game winning streak in those games. Meanwhile, West Virginia head coach Neal Brown is 4-0 during Thanksgiving week, which generally falls on the regular season finale, but during the COVID season, the Mountaineers eventually wrapped up the regular season in Ames on December 5th. However, there was a scheduled game against Oklahoma on Dec. 12 in Morgantown, but the game was canceled. So, lets stick with the Thanksgiving week stat.

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Neal Brown captured his first win against Texas Tech in Morgantown last year after dropping the first four meetings.

The Red Raiders will be motivated for redemption on the toughness of running back Thaj Brooks. The senior has rushed for over 100 yards in all 10 of his appearances this season, tallying 1,317 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Junior quarterback Behren Morton has been solid for Texas Tech this season, throwing for 2,976 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Despite all their offensive success, the defense, like West Virginia’s, has been their downfall. It’s hard to believe there’s been worse defense than the Mountaineers, but the Red Raiders are in contention with Oklahoma State to take the title of “Big 12’s Worst Defense”.

In what I believed to be a ‘toss up’ game from the beginning of the season holds true today. I don’t like the stats against WVU in this one with Tech’s home success and recent series history, but like last week, I’m going with the intangible Garrett Greene.

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The Mountaineers did not necessarily need heroics in last week’s win against UCF, but they will more than likely need some big plays down the stretch to steal the victory and I don’t believe will allow it to happen.

Garrett Greene has a big fourth quarter while running backs CJ Donalson and Jahiem White pound the rock in the running game and steal a victory in Lubbock 37-34.

Prediction record: 7-4.

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PHOTOS: Virginia National Guard soldiers return from deployment in time for Thanksgiving

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PHOTOS: Virginia National Guard soldiers return from deployment in time for Thanksgiving


RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia National Guard (VNG) soldiers returned home from deployment in Poland on Wednesday — just in time to spend Thanksgiving with their families.

The soldiers were assigned to the Virginia Beach-based 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group and reunited with family, friends and VNG senior leaders on Wednesday, Nov. 27.

These reunions came after the soldiers had been serving on federal active duty since March of this year.

The 529th was based at Forward Operating Site in Karliki, Poland and was responsible for supply missions, logistics and maintenance. They also serve as a headquarters element for Task Force Cavalier, which oversees operations and training for over 550 soldiers from 4 different subordinate units from active-duty Army, Army Reserve and Army National Guard.

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Among the people there to greet the returning soldiers and thank them for their service was Major General James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia and Brig. Gen. Todd H. Hubbard — the VNG Director of the Joint Staff.

“You showed tremendous resiliency,” said Lt. Col. Carlos Maldonado, commander of TF Cavalier at the TOA. “You overcame and absolutely crushed the mission. Through it all, Cavalier you persevered.”

To learn more about what their deployment entailed, click here.

Continue scrolling to see photos of the soldiers returning home to their families:

Soldiers returning to Virginia (Courtesy of Virginia National Guard Public Affairs Office)
Soldiers returning to Virginia (Courtesy of Virginia National Guard Public Affairs Office)
Soldiers returning to Virginia (Courtesy of Virginia National Guard Public Affairs Office)
Soldiers returning to Virginia (Courtesy of Virginia National Guard Public Affairs Office)
Soldiers returning to Virginia (Courtesy of Virginia National Guard Public Affairs Office)
Soldiers returning to Virginia (Courtesy of Virginia National Guard Public Affairs Office)
Soldiers returning to Virginia (Courtesy of Virginia National Guard Public Affairs Office)
Soldiers returning to Virginia (Courtesy of Virginia National Guard Public Affairs Office)
Soldiers returning to Virginia (Courtesy of Virginia National Guard Public Affairs Office)
Soldiers returning to Virginia (Courtesy of Virginia National Guard Public Affairs Office)



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Spread & Over/Under Predictions for West Virginia vs. Arizona

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Spread & Over/Under Predictions for West Virginia vs. Arizona


It’s the final day of the Battle 4 Atlantis and the West Virginia Mountaineers are hoping to leave the Bahamas with a third-place finish in the event. Winning the whole thing would have been extremely impressive considering the field, but Darian DeVries’ squad has already notched a key resume-building win over Gonzaga and can do so again today against No. 24 Arizona.

Here are my picks for today’s game. Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

1 Star – Not very confident
2 Star – A little confident
3 Star – Fairly confident
4 Star – Very confident
5 Star – Should be a lock to happen

3-star play on Arizona (-6.5): This is a really tough matchup for the Mountaineers playing its third game in three days. When these two meet later in the year, I believe WVU will put together a much stronger showing and potentially even win the game. Not there, though.

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The Wildcats have a nine-man rotation, which occasionally will be a ten-man. WVU’s key players have logged a ton of minutes over the last two days, with both games going to overtime. As evidenced in yesterday’s game, if the Mountaineers face serious foul trouble, it impacts them more than most teams due to a lack of depth. Amani Hansberry should be able to produce a third straight big game, but if he starts picking up fouls left and right, WVU will be in trouble. Arizona’s guard-heavy lineup will attack and finish around the rim with ease.

I’ve got the Wildcats pulling away with a strong second half.

1-star play on the under: Arizona is a high-scoring team that likes to push the tempo. They’ve averaged 67 field goal attempts in this tournament, whereas WVU has attempted 59 and 63 in games that went to overtime. For West Virginia to win, they’re going to have to slow things down when they have the ball, much like they did in the opening-round game against Gonzaga.

I mentioned fatigue setting in as a possibility in the WVU-Louisville game yesterday, and although Darian DeVries isn’t using that as an excuse, you can tell it played a factor for both teams, especially in the first half. Both squads looked sloppy, slow, and disjointed. I seriously doubt WVU and Arizona will have an extra bounce in their step today, playing for the third time in three days and in a game deciding who takes home third place.

ATS: 3-3 (50%)
O/U: 4-2 (66%)
Overall: 7-5 (58%)

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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