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Nuclear History in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center

Historical primary sources on nuclear history and atomic energy

Nuclear Engineering, Nuclear Reactors, and Nuclear Power

SCARC Collection Strengths Cover of Nuclear Reactor Plant Data

  • nuclear engineering at Oregon State
    • Oregon State University was among the first in the nation to offer a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering, awarding our first degree in 1968. Today we remain in the top nuclear science and engineering schools in the country, offering degrees at the bachelor's, master's and doctorate level in nuclear engineering, and radiation health physics.
  • materials about the early days of atomic energy and nuclear power, 1945-1960
  • reactor engineering, development, management, and use
  • reactor shielding and safety
  • pro- and anti- nuclear viewpoints on nuclear power
  • environmental concerns
  • accidents and incidents

Keywords and Starting Points
Search these in 1Search, SCARC Finding Aids, Oregon Digital, MediaSpace

  • nuclear power
  • nuclear engineering
  • nuclear energy
  • shield*
  • reactor*
  • plant names, e.g. Trojan Nuclear Power Plant

Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers

See especially

Archival and Manuscript Collections

At Oregon State TRIGA reactor at Oregon State University, 1970s

Radiation Center Records, 1969-2000
The Radiation Center Records contains materials generated between 1953 and 2008 documenting the creation and operation of the Oregon State University Radiation Center. construction on the OSU Radiation Center began in early 1964. Laboratory space in the Center was occupied as early as August 1964. In January 1967, a 250 kilowatt research reactor (Oregon State Triga Mark II Reactor) was completed. Under the guidance of the Center's first director, Chih H. Wang, the reactor was upgraded to a 1 megawatt output and the Radiation Center facilities were expanded significantly to include radiography facilities, a Co-60 gamma irradiator, an x-ray generator, and other highly specialized equipment. The Radiation Center housed the Nuclear Engineering Program, provided instruction and access for dozens of courses annually, and engaged in a major reactor use sharing program with other institutions in Oregon and beyond. The collection contains administrative correspondence; records of the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Center's facilities and equipment; documentation of research conducted by the Radiation Center on behalf of OSU and other academic institutions, the U.S. Army, Oregon law enforcement agencies, and corporate partners; and records of the Center's day-to-day operations including detailed annual reports and records from several advisory groups.

Chih H. Wang Papers, 1947-1984
Chih H. Wang was Professor of Chemistry, Director of the Radiation Center, and Head of the Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering at Oregon State University. He was responsible for the growth of nuclear science research on the Oregon State University campus and the creation of the OSU Radiation Center. Materials about nuclear power, nuclear reactors, and nuclear engineering in general are throughout the collection. Of special interest is Series 3: Training and Education Project Records which detail Wang's annual program to provide technical training in nuclear power generation for employees of TaiPower, Taiwan's state-owned electric power utility; and files on nuclear reactor regulation in Series 6: Subject Files.

John C. Ringle Papers, 1960-2012
As a professor of Nuclear Engineering at OSU, Ringle taught courses in nuclear reactor engineering, nuclear safety, kinetics, reactor analysis, and reactor operation. Notably, he also served as the Assistant Reactor Administrator from 1966 to 1980. He oversaw the final construction of OSU’s TRIGA reactor, operated and maintained both the TRIGA and AGN-201 reactors, supervised upgrades to the TRIGA reactor and the decommissioning and dismantlement of the AGN-201 reactor, and provided training and supervision to student and civil service reactor operators. Ringle also maintained a vigorous research agenda and produced numerous papers and presentations on nuclear reactor safety, the environmental impact of nuclear power, nuclear waste storage, and the operation of research reactors. Though Ringle's collection is extremely strong in these topics throughout, of special interest is Series 2: Publications, which includes works on reactor safety, the environmental impact of nuclear power, nuclear waste management, and operation and upkeep of TRIGA research reactors; and Series 3: Professional and Civic Activities, which includes informational literature regarding Oregon ballot measures on nuclear power from 1976-1992, and more than four decades of newsclippings related to nuclear power in the Pacific Northwest.

College of Engineering Records, 1930-2002
These records were generated and assembled by the College of Engineering and document the administration of the College and the instructional, research, and professional activities of engineering faculty at Oregon State University. Of particular interest to these topics are materials on nuclear engineering education in Box-Folder 9.8: Nuclear Engineering Education (Atomic Engineering Commission), 1955-1958 and Box-Folder 22.1: Hanford Graduate Center, 1966-1970.

The How OSU Grew Nuclear Science Oral History Collection, 2009-2010
Interviews with Oregon State University faculty and alumni in the Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics Department that were conducted as part of the 50th anniversary of the graduate program in 2009.

Oregon State University Memorabilia Collection, 1860-present
The Memorabilia Collection is an artificial collection containing items of interest about Oregon State University. Box-Folder 113.8: Nuclear Power, 1969-2001 contains newspaper clippings, a letter and agenda from the Northwest Conference on the Role of Nuclear Energy, and Trojan Nuclear Plant informational booklet (1970). Box-Folder 113.9: Nuclear Science and Engineering, Institute of, 1970-1994 and Box-Folder 135.1-135.3: Radiation Center are rich with sources about these programs.

 

Beyond Oregon State Slide of Trojan Power Plant

Eugene Starr Papers, 1911-1988
Starr achieved international recognition for his work in the fields of electrical engineering and nuclear physics. A member of the Manhattan Project and later a consultant to the Atomic Energy Commission, Eugene Starr was closely acquainted with the development of nuclear power from its inception. In 1958 Starr was awarded the Department of the Interior's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, for his work with the Bonneville Power Administration. Starr's papers include personal correspondence and scientific reports, with a focus on his work in nuclear fission and the transmission of high-voltage electricity. The materials in Series 3: Nuclear Power reflect this long involvement, and specifically detail his contacts with nuclear power interests in the Pacific Northwest.

Gilbert A. Zigler Papers, 1962-2014
Zigler worked f
or Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) as a reactor diagnostic engineer where he helped design and oversee the construction of seven different pressurized water reactors (PWRs). A defining feature of his career was his involvement with the incident at the second unit at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station. The station consisted of two Babcock & Wilcox designed pressurized water reactors. Due to his experience with these reactors, Zigler was called in to assess the problems at the Three Mile Island TMI-II reactor just hours after the reactor started malfunctioning. Zigler’s expertise with B&W reactors led to him providing a diagnosis for the malfunctioning unit and he contributed to the successful shutdown of the TMI-II reactor unit. After leaving Pennsylvania and with the encouragement of the director of the Division of Systems Safety of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Roger Mattson, Zigler put his thoughts and experiences at the reactor into words in “Recommendations for Improved Readiness for Future Nuclear Incidents.” He also co-authored “TMI-2 On-Site Monitoring and Diagnostic Measurements Using Noise Analysis,” the summary report for the President’s Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island. Series 1: Three Mile Island documents this work and includes hand-written notes, charts, graphs, and data collected during the days following the accident, as well as memoranda, correspondence, Babcock & Wilcox reports, and other summaries or analyses of the TMI-II incident.

Theodore Rockwell Papers, 1915-2013Lauri Fermi, The Story of Atomic Energy
Rockwell was the technical director for the U.S. Navy's nuclear propulsion initiative under Admiral H. G. Rickover, and co-founder of engineering firm MPR Associates, Inc. and nuclear advocacy group Radiation, Science, and Health, Inc.
In addition to his work at Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project in Series 3 and materials from his time developing nuclear propulsion in Series 4, Series 7 is comprised of research materials relating to nuclear energy and Rockwell's his pro-nuclear position.

Leonard M. Maki Nuclear Power Collection ,1958-1990s
T
he Leonard M. Maki Nuclear Power Collection consists of books and archival materials related to the development of nuclear power systems in the twentieth century. Of particular note is a collection of documents, dating to the 1960s, which detail ideas and prototypes for nuclear power systems designed to operate in outer space. This collection would be of potential interest to those researching the history of nuclear power and engineering, applications of nuclear technology in space, and nuclear reactor design.

Paul J. Persiani Papers, 1938-2009
Persiani came to Argonne National Laboratory in 1949 as a junior mechanical engineer in what later became the Reactor Engineering Division and was among the first researchers using neutron radiation to study material structure. In the 1960s, he worked on the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II project, held the position of chief physicist and designer for the Fast Reactor Core Test Facility (FARET), and created materials for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's Nuclear Safeguards Program. He later worked in the Reactor Physics Division where he researched fusion reactor technology and assisted in the design of radiation test facilities for the National CTR Materials Technology Program. In the early 1990s, he spent ten months as a technical advisor to the U. S. negotiating team at the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) talks. He authored several sections of the treaty while stationed in Geneva, Switzerland  Of special note is Series 4: Publications and Lectures, which includes his work on reactor development.

Roy Haber Hanford Nuclear Reservation Downwinders Case Collection, 1942-1997
This collection contains research materials used by the law office of Roy Haber, in litigation regarding radiation exposure suffered by individuals living close to (or 'downwind' from) Hanford from 1945 to the mid 1990s. Materials broadly span the history of Hanford operations including construction, releases of radioactive material into the environment, and expert and witness testimonies.

Nuclear Science Technical Reports, 1946-1979
The Nuclear Science Technical Reports Collection
includes papers issued by a variety of both government and government-contracted organizations focused on the research, application and development of nuclear energy and reactor design.

Charter Heslep Papers, 1932-1963
The Charter Heslep Papers are primarily comprised of materials dating from Heslep's time as an employee of the Atomic Energy Commission. Series 2: Speeches includes Heslep's ghostwritten speech for the opening of the first Experimental Central Station Nuclear Power Project in 1954.

Rare Book Collections

History of Atomic Energy Collection Cover of The Elements of Nuclear Reactor Theory
Thousands of titles in this collection span these topics. Nuclear energy, nuclear power, nuclear reactors, and nuclear engineering are broadly represented. Highlights include early reactor manuals, materials on the history of nuclear industry, and publications on nuclear power benefits and dangers. Nuclear accidents and incidents such as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl are widely represented.

Digital Collections

Oregon DigitalThe Nuclear Environment. A Handbook on Nuclear Power for Schools and the Community.
Results for nuclear power, nuclear energy, and nuclear reactors include images of Oregon's Trojan Nuclear Plant, coverage in the OSU Presidents Papers and Barometer, and materials related to the TRIGA Mark II reactor.

Media Space
Results for nuclear power, nuclear energy, and nuclear reactors include oral histories with nuclear engineers, alumni, and students.

Scholars Archive
Results for nuclear power, nuclear energy, and nuclear reactors include a wealth of OSU scholarship on these topics as well as conference proceedings, reports, and presentations.