Boise State: INL's agreement with Boise State covers the research and development of advanced materials, manufacturing for extreme environments, and secure and resilient energy systems.
Through the collaboration, INL and Boise State intend to conduct research into strong, reliable materials that can be used in next-generation nuclear reactors; other industrial energy production; microelectronics; and other applications associated with such extreme conditions as ultra-low and ultra-high temperatures, extreme pressures, radioactivity, and corrosive environments. The types of materials to be investigated include high-entropy alloys, quantum materials, high-temperature materials, wide and ultra-wide band gap semiconductors, metamaterials, and radiation-resistant alloys.
The research into secure and resilient energy systems will include such areas as cyber-informed design, AI/computing, and sociotechnical systems. This type of research could be applied to national and energy security, such as system resilience against cyberattacks on government agencies and industry.
University of Idaho: INL's agreement with University of Idaho entails research into nuclear materials and fuel cycles, nuclear integrated energy systems, and industrial cybersecurity.
The nuclear materials and fuel cycle research will investigate methods for enhancing the efficiency of nuclear power plant systems, including improving fuel use and production for nuclear operations.
Research into nuclear integrated energy systems will explore the development and deployment of nuclear energy systems beyond the power grid. Examples include the application of nuclear heat to such industrial processes as hydrogen production and the application of the nuclear energy needed for data centers and other high-demand technology systems.
Industrial cybersecurity research will focus on enhancing the security and resiliency of industrial control systems in vital infrastructure technologies, such as electrical power and clean water services.
Urgent national priorities: INL director John Wagner explained the importance of the new agreements with the two universities. “Since INL’s inception in 1949, we have established and strengthened research collaborations with Boise State University and University of Idaho. Research in the areas that we have identified today is critical to accelerating our nation’s energy, manufacturing, and technology sectors for the benefit of the American people,” he said. “These agreements have the potential to elevate INL’s impact on these urgent national priorities.”
