Justice-Centered Narratives in Nuclear Engineering Academia: Accountability’s Role in the Expansion of Nuclear

In the context of the United States’ ambitious COP28 goal of tripling nuclear power by 2050, public support and a pipeline of educated nuclear engineers must be cultivated and maintained at the academic level. For momentum to be maintained on the heels of an anticipated “nuclear renaissance,” the incoming workforce of nuclear engineers must have learned from their predecessors not only regarding key issues such as reactor safety and hazard mitigation, but also community engagement and public trust. One major component of modern, trust-based nuclear initiatives such as Consent-Based Siting and the Community Capacity Building Grant Program is what can be considered “nuclear justice,” a concept meant to ensure future nuclear projects minimize harm to marginalized and minoritized communities and to remediate harms perpetuated by the nuclear industry’s past. This paper hopes to contribute to the expanding field of nuclear justice by proposing a survey method to assess whether and how narratives involving historic nuclear injustices are being provided to students pursuing degrees in nuclear engineering (NE). Potential means to increase conversations surrounding these topics within NE academic spaces are also investigated, with a focus on student engagement. The methodologies presented are intended to engage students (past and present), faculty, and scholars of all identities in NE spaces to determine their perspectives on the value of providing justice-centered narratives to NE students. It is expected that upon distribution, the survey will provide the nuclear community with valuable insight about how accountability at the academic level can facilitate ethical decision-making in the workplace.