News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Tennessee Tech will host the inaugural World Nuclear Forum in October to promote the importance of the nuclear energy industry.
Chief of Government Affairs Dr. Terry Saltsman said the forum will host international leaders in nuclear energy to discuss where the industry stands today. Saltsman said nuclear energy has changed its perception from being very dangerous 30 years ago.
“As we realize that nuclear energy is not only safe but it is good for the environment in terms of climate change,” Saltsman said. “Well, all of a sudden everybody is interested in coming back into the field, but we find ourselves with a workforce that well over 20 percent are over 55 years old and half are over 40 years old.”
Saltsman said the festival will bring attention to the nuclear engineering program which the university recently started as one of two nuclear engineering programs in the state of Tennessee. Saltsman said this is a great opportunity for young adults to get into a career field that is growing and pays an average salary of $130,000 a year.
“It also serves to show the importance to those up-and-coming students who are now juniors and seniors in high school that this is a real need,” Saltsman said. “We happen to have a solution here.”
The forum will focus on France and its contributions to the industry. Saltsman said the United States used to be the leader in nuclear energy but has taken a step back and fallen behind countries like France and Japan.
“Because we stepped away from the field for the last thirty or forty years we are no longer necessarily the leaders,” Saltsman said. “We find ourselves in a role where we are having to catch up a little.”
Saltsman said nuclear energy is one of the best energy sources today as the energy can be used for thousands of years and is far more efficient than other reusable energy sources such as solar energy and wind energy.
The forum takes place October 15.
