Updated: 10/20/2008 7:49:35 PM
Both presidential candidates have cited nuclear energy as an alternative to foreign oil and coal.
But many of those currently working in the nuclear engineering field are about to retire. About 50 percent are expected to leave the field within 10 years.
Now nuclear engineering professors say that after years of vacant seats in their classrooms, their courses are filling up.
They believe the public's changing attitude toward clean energy and energy independence are sending more college students their way.
Dr Ivan Maldonado is one of those professors. He spends his days making complex equations comprehensible to 20-year-olds.
And he says he doesn't mind persuading students from other fields to join his.
"I enjoy recruiting students from physics and mathematics and explaining to them that if you add an applied twist to your work, you can also enter this field," he said.
And not just because he loves nuclear engineering, but because there's a serious need for students.
Dr. Maldonado says that without them, there won't be enough new people to fill the shoes of all the engineers preparing to retire.
"The industry is very concerned about this. It's a major problem," he said.
But that problem has a bright side for his students.
"There's this giant gap between generations in the industry right now," said student David Vermillion.
"After doing two summer internships all the guys at the plant and the office said, 'You know, you're going to have a job for sure,'" said student Evan Murphy.
UT has seen the enrollment in their nuclear engineering department rise by 300% in 10 years.
Partially because the students know that unlike some of their colleagues who will have a hard time getting a job amid a potential recession, they'll be able to write their ticket.
"I don't worry about that too much because I know I'll have a job," said student Alex Lang.
Dr. Maldonado hopes what students learn in his classroom will fuel change for years to come.
