(247e) Namp Radiochemistry Webinars—an Online Educational Resource

Several recently published reports have emphasized the predicted loss in the nation’s radiochemistry expertise as a significant portion of the current workforce nears retirement age. In 2012, the National Academy of Sciences assessed the demand for and supply of nuclear and radiochemistry experts, concluding that the current number of graduates is not sufficient to meet the projected growth in these fields. By contrast, in January 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected slower than the average employment growth for chemical engineers from 2012 to 2022. Because of decreased demands in chemical manufacturing and other manufacturing sectors, chemical engineers are migrating into different fields and emerging technologies. The National Analytical Management Program (NAMP) Education and Training subcommittee was created to respond to the challenge of maintaining a well-educated work force and to meet the projected growth in nuclear medicine and nuclear energy.

NAMP serves as a central focal point for coordinating analytical resources and radiochemistry capabilities available within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex.  NAMP membership is open to all laboratories providing services to the DOE, i.e., government-owned and government-operated, government-owned and contractor-operated, and private sector laboratories.  The expertise provided and services rendered by these laboratories in radiochemistry and nuclear engineering are available to national and international agencies as required, especially in the event of emergencies such as natural disasters, accidents, or terrorist activities.  Using modern internet technologies, the NAMP Education and Training subcommittee is accessible to a broad audience and is educating and strengthening the knowledge of participants in applications related to actinide and fission products chemistry, sample preparation, detection, dosimetry and risk assessment.  This achievement is the direct result of partnering with university professors and professionals who conduct live webinars on a monthly basis. The live webinars are recorded and archived as an online educational resource to the public from the NAMP website (http://www.wipp.energy.gov/namp). In addition, the webinars offer unprecedented opportunities for interdisciplinary crosslinking and collaboration in education and research.