In yet another significant step toward the goal of building a molten salt research reactor, Abilene Christian University’s Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Lab submitted an application for a construction permit with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday. The application is the first for a new research reactor in more than 30 years and the … Continued
Though he had an idea what was coming, the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope left ACU physics alumnus Dr. Scott Acton (’84) speechless. He had spent “half a lifetime’s worth of effort” working on the mission, most recently as Webb’s wavefront sensing and controls scientist with Ball Aerospace. In April, he was … Continued
Abilene Christian University’s Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Laboratory has contracted Teledyne Brown Engineering to perform front-end engineering and design work to produce the first university-based molten salt research reactor (MSRR). “We received interest in working on this first-of-a-kind project from over a dozen top engineering companies,” said Dr. Rusty Towell, director of NEXT Lab and … Continued
Physicists, students, researchers, science teachers and even a NASA engineer will converge on the Abilene Christian University campus March 11-12 for a joint meeting of the Texas sections of three major physics professional societies: the American Association of Physics Teachers, the American Physical Society and the Society of Physics Students. Mike Menzel, the NASA mission … Continued
In a country where more than 50 percent of the population lives in poverty and an estimated 150,000 children are orphans, hope is a precious commodity. A group of nursing and engineering students from ACU traveled to Honduras in May to work with Living Hope, a nonprofit ministry focusing on families, children and abandoned or … Continued
When Keaton Brewster graduates in May with a degree in physics and mathematics, he’ll be taking with him more than a diploma. A research proposal stemming from his work in ACU’s NEXT Lab has earned him a prestigious fellowship from the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowships Program. With his annual stipend of $34,000, Keaton … Continued