Robert E. Uhrig Graduate Scholarship

The Human Factors, Instrumentation, and Controls for Nuclear Power scholarship was established by the HFICD in November 2010.

In 2014, the award was renamed the Robert E. Uhrig Graduate Scholarship and changed from an undergraduate to a graduate scholarship. The Uhrig Scholarship is for students pursuing graduate studies in nuclear engineering with a focus in the field of human factors, instrumentation, and controls. The Uhrig Scholarship focus is on the technical disciplines involved in Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Controls, and Human–Machine Interface Technologies in the context of nuclear power or other nuclear engineering-specific applications.

Bob's family used to ask him why he continued to work years after he could have retired. Bob replied, "Well, someone has to fund the students". With this ANS graduate scholarship, Bob can fund students forever! Bob's family thinks this is a perfect way to recognize Bob's contributions.

Dr. Robert (Bob) E. Uhrig retired in 2002 from a joint appointment as Distinguished Professor of Engineering in the Nuclear Engineering department at the University of Tennessee (UT), Knoxville, and as Distinguished Scientist in the Advanced Science and Technology Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His work at both institutions concerned the application of artificial intelligence methods, primarily expert systems, neural networks, fuzzy systems and genetic algorithms to nuclear power plants and other complex systems. From 1973 to 1986, Uhrig was Vice President for Advanced Systems and Technology at Florida Power and Light Company (FP&L). For 12 years he was responsible for the company's nuclear power licensing activities, environmental licensing and planning, research and development program, nuclear quality assurance program and nuclear fuel analysis activity and served as Chair of the Company's Nuclear Safety Board.

Prior to joining FP&L, he was with the University of Florida, from 1960 to 1973. Initially Chairman of the Department of Nuclear Engineering Sciences (1960–68), Uhrig initiated the Ph.D. program and innovative research programs in the application of random noise techniques to nuclear reactor systems. Later, Uhrig served as Dean of the College of Engineering. Earlier, he was Associate Professor of Engineering Mechanics and Nuclear Engineering and Research Engineer for the Atomic Energy Commission's Ames Laboratory at Iowa State University, Ames (1956–60); and Instructor in the Department of Mechanics at the U.S. Military academy at West Point, N.Y., while on active duty with the U.S. Air Force (1954–56).

Uhrig, an ASME Fellow, served as a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (1997–2001) and Nuclear Safety Research Review Committee (1989–1995) and the NAS/NRC committees on U.S. nuclear engineering education (1989–90). He is the author of over 250 technical and professional publications. Uhrig received his Bachelor's degree, with honors, in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign, in 1948. He earned his Master's and Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (now part of Aerospace Engineering) at Iowa State University in 1950 and 1954 respectively.