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SpeechesBreazeale Nuclear Reactor 50th Anniversary & Rededication
Graham B. Spanier
This is a memorable day for Penn State as we pay tribute to a facility that has been part of this campus for five decades. August 15, 2005 The Breazeale Reactor has played a pioneering role in education about nuclear energy and nuclear engineering. As the oldest nuclear reactor built for peacetime research and training operating on any American university campus, Breazeale is a vital component of our nation's nuclear energy research endeavors. Fifty years ago, government and University leaders declared that Penn State was in possession of a truly magnificent and versatile research instrument in the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor. At that time, the area of greatest interest was nuclear power, but history has shown that nuclear technology possesses a vast number of other peaceful uses and we still possess a wondrous research facility. I am proud to say that Penn State researchers have discovered ways to address a vast number of challenges with nuclear technology. We contribute to the knowledge base in a diverse number of fields such as agriculture, medicine, and metallurgy, to name a few, providing new and useful products and processes. Nuclear-related technology has the ability to address the socio-economic needs of many nations. Nuclear technology can play a key role in improving the nutritional quality of crops; used to eliminate disease-causing insects; and can sterilize medical supplies or toughen the rubber in automobile tires. Here, at this historic landmark, our undergraduate and graduate students in almost 30 different departments on campus are trained as new scientists, technicians, and engineers in the exploration of nuclear energy and its uses. Built originally at a cost of $308,000 -- and built entirely with University funds by University scientists and engineers -- when this facility was dedicated 50 years ago, it was called a solemn occasion. Today, it is a celebration--a celebration of the tremendous contributions Penn State and its people have made to our nation. It is also a celebration of the many more discoveries that will be made here and the thousands more students that will benefit from study at Penn State's Breazeale Nuclear Reactor. |
