PhD student Lee Maccarone wins 2020 Innovations in Nuclear Technology R&D Award

CANYON, TX (September 3, 2020) ... Lee Maccarone, a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, has been awarded a Second Place prize in the Innovations in Nuclear Technology R&D Awards sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Technology R&D. Maccarone's award is in the Open Competition in the category of Energy Policy. His award-winning research paper, “Toward a Game-Theoretic Metric for Nuclear Power Plant Security,” was presented at the IAEA International Conference on Nuclear Security in February 2020.

In order to be successful and retain its leadership role in nuclear technologies, the United States must foster creativity and breakthrough achievements to develop tomorrow’s nuclear technologies. The Department of Energy has long recognized that university students are an important source of breakthrough solutions, and a key component in meeting its long-term goals. The Innovations in Nuclear Technology R&D Awards program was developed for this purpose.

The Innovations in Nuclear Technology R&D Awards program is designed to: 1) award graduate and undergraduate students for innovative nuclear-technology-relevant research publications, 2) demonstrate the Department of Energy’s commitment to higher education in nuclear-technology-relevant disciplines, and 3) support communications among university students and Department of Energy representatives.

The program awarded 24 prizes in 2020 for student publications relevant to innovative nuclear technology. In addition to cash awards, award-winning students will have a variety of other opportunities.

For more information on the Innovations in Nuclear Technology R&D Awards program, visit www.nucleartechinnovations.org.