Missouri S&T Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science

08/25/2026

Please join us in welcoming two new members to our faculty!

Dr. Meral Sharkass earned her Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from Penn State, where her research focused on plasma-facing materials for fusion energy, with an emphasis on tungsten surface interactions and hydrogen isotope retention using atomistic simulations. Passionate about engineering education, she is committed to creating an engaging and supportive learning environment.

Dr. Azhar Malik earned his Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from The University of Tokyo and brings 18 years of teaching experience from the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences. His research focuses on radiation interaction and detection, radiological engineering, radiation shielding designs, Monte Carlo simulations, nuclear electronics, and optics. Dr. Malik has supervised the Research Thesis of 5 PhD students, more than 35 MS and 7 BS students.

We are very excited to welcome Dr. Sharkass and Dr. Malik to our department and look forward to all they will bring to our students, programs, and community!

08/18/2026

We’re proud to congratulate Drew Barringhaus, a Missouri S&T nuclear engineering graduate, on receiving Pi Kappa Alpha’s Robertson Most Outstanding Undergraduate Award. This award is the fraternity’s highest honor for a graduating senior.

Drew’s leadership helped transform the Pi Kappa Alpha Chapter at Missouri S&T which was named the Chapter House of the Year for the third time in its 120-year history! During his time as an officer, he helped address more than $200,000 in outstanding chapter dues and oversaw significant improvements to the chapter house totaling nearly $1.4 million. Additionally, he helped lead the S&T chapter to renewed recognition across Pi Kappa Alpha.

His accomplishments extend well beyond the fraternity. Drew graduated summa cm laude and earned recognition as the top scholar in his graduating class of nuclear engineers by the Mines & Metallurgy Academy. He has also held leadership roles in the American Nuclear Society and Alpha Nu Sigma Honor Society. He is establishing the Barringhaus Nuclear Leadership Scholarship to support future students entering the nuclear industry.

Congratulations, Drew, on a remarkable achievement and an outstanding career at Missouri S&T!

The Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity

08/10/2026

Join us Saturday, December 5, 2026, as we celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Missouri S&T Reactor (MSTR), the first nuclear reactor to reach criticality in the state of Missouri.

This special celebration will bring together alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends to reflect on six and a half decades of research, education, and hands-on student experience at MSTR.

The day will feature keynote remarks, a very exciting announcement, student posters, guided reactor tours, a commemorative photo, and an anniversary banquet as we celebrate MSTR’s remarkable legacy and future.

RSVP at: https://massemail.mst.edu/l/BFHtCUfZltXt75ddqlnIyg/8FuxNwayqPTO892elwOXTPZQ/nqG06pVmljx6JQPfoDOQcg

📅 December 5, 2026
⏰️ Registration: 8:30am
📍 Missouri S&T Innovation Center to start
📝 RSVP by November 5, 2026

Find more information at our website: https://sites.mst.edu/mstr65/

07/02/2026

Another successful Nuclear Engineering Summer Camp is in the books!

This summer, from June 7th to the 12th, 40 high school students from across the country spent a week on campus exploring the many applications of nuclear engineering through hands-on activities, interactive demonstrations and conversations with faculty, students and industry professionals. One of the week's biggest highlights was the opportunity to operate Missouri S&T's research reactor. This is an experience few high school students, or even adults, ever get!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year's camp a success. We loved sharing our passion for nuclear engineering with the next generation of innovators and hope to see many of these students back on campus in the future!

Want to learn more or join us next year? Visit nuclear.mst.edu/summercamp

06/06/2026

We were honored to welcome our visiting Golden Alumni back to the NERS Department!

The Golden Alumni Reunion celebrates the 50-year anniversary of graduation from MSM/UMR (today, Missouri S&T). Alumni return to campus to reconnect with classmates, tour campus, and learn about the exciting things happening at Missouri S&T today. The celebration concludes with a Recognition Ceremony where each graduate receives a 50-year pin and Golden certificate.

Thank you to Harold “Skip” Garner, Richard and Kathy Lickett, and Sam Wier for visiting with us and continuing to support the NERS community. We loved having you back on campus!

05/29/2026

Congrats Maxwell!

When Milena Lynn Gessert crossed the commencement stage at Missouri S&T earlier this month, she was likely one of the youngest participants in university history.

05/29/2026

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

Congratulations to our graduating class of 2026! 🎓🎉

We are very proud to celebrate our graduating seniors and can’t wait to see where your journey takes you next!

05/15/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the screening of The Nuclear Frontier on April 28th, 2026, in the Innovation Lab! The evening brought together students, faculty, and industry professionals for meaningful conversations about the future of nuclear energy in the United States.

The documentary highlighted the growing momentum behind fleet-scale nuclear reactor deployment and the next generation of clean energy leadership. Following the screening, attendees heard from an outstanding panel of experts:

• Dr. Joshua Schlegel, Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Academics, S&T NERS
• Dr. Jaime McCoy, Site Vice President, Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant
• Mark Reidmeyer, Technical Services Executive, Certrec
• James Daniell, Graduate Student, S&T NERS
• Michael Hoehn II, Program Director, NextGen MURR
• Dr. Betsy Brunner, Director of Public Sector Partnerships and Strategic Funding, TNC

We appreciate everyone who took the time to attend and engage with the panel discussion, and we’re grateful to our speakers and sponsors for helping make the event possible.

05/06/2026

April 22nd provided our department the opportunity to call upon the new Missouri S&T Nuclear Energy Board of Advisors.

It was an excellent opportunity to connect with leaders from across the nuclear and energy sectors, including representation from Idaho National Laboratory, Mizzou, Ameren, Evergy, NuScale Power, Westinghouse Electric Company, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Electric Power Research Institute, Sargent & Lundy, Pitt Tech, and Oak Ridge Associated Universities. The insight and perspectives shared among these brilliant minds will help guide the future of nuclear research, education, and innovation across the nation.

From touring the Missouri Protoplex, the Student Design and Experiential Learning Center, and our research reactor, MSTR, as it approaches its 65 year anniversary, the visit highlighted incredible momentum happening all across campus.

We are grateful for the collaboration and engagement of this outstanding group as we continue building and learning together!

Idaho National Laboratory Mizzou Ameren Corporation Evergy NuScale Power Corporation Westinghouse Electric Company Sargent & Lundy Pitt Technology Group ORAU Power Research Institute (EPRI)

04/29/2026

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded Missouri S&T $2.8 million to support workforce development efforts. The money will support upgrades across the Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Department, including:

• A collaboration with Mirion Technologies to provide a complete overhaul of the Radiation Measurements Laboratory with modern equipment and expanded capacity
• A 12-unit VOYAGR simulator from NuScale to support reactor operations training

A large portion of the funding will go toward supporting the Missouri S&T reactor, including:

• A data diode system for securely sharing data with students and other partners
• An overhauled, digital system for operational and visitor logs
• A hot cell for working with high-activity samples and training students in advanced research systems
• Control room upgrades
• And more!

Keep an eye out for additional updates and exciting developments. As everything comes online, we hope to have even bigger news on this front soon!