The Nuclear Engineers Directional Guide

Table Of Contents:
I. Information about the Guide
i. ii. iii. iv. v. Contents/Scope3 Audience/Purpose....3 Assumptions About the Reader............................................3 Organization of the Guide.....................................................4 Tips for Using the Guide........................................................4

II. General Sites i. Help with Assignments a. Qalculate......................................................................5 b. NIST..............................................................................6 ii. Career Exploration/Education a. Nuclear Energy Institute...............................................7
b. World Nuclear Association...........................................8

III. Research Sites i. Periodical Indexes

a. Catalogue of U.S. Government Publications.................9 b. Engineering Village......................................................10 c. Statistical Abstract of the United States......................11

ii. Organization/Career Sites

a. United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission...........12 b. American Nuclear Society............................................13

Information About the Guide

Contents/Scope:
This guide contains relevant information for a student in the field of nuclear engineering. Below are websites that will aid a student of any number of years in the major. Sites for beginning students include ones that will help with homework assignments and searching the nuclear field for career options and knowledge about nuclear specifics. For students in the later years of their major, websites for research purposes and getting established in the nuclear field will be of much use. This guide will help with all of that.

Audience/Purpose:
This guide is meant for undergraduate students attending Penn. State in the field of nuclear engineering. Anyone with a major or minor in nuclear engineering should be able to understand the material on the websites provided. However, if they are relatively new to the major, there are multiple websites to help them learn the concepts of nuclear science. This guide is meant to help a student with any problems they may experience through their courses and to also help with installing the knowledge to best make them available to the nuclear work-force after college.

Assumptions About the Reader:

This guide was created with the assumption that the reader is capable of navigating the internet well enough to search through websites. The reader of this guide should also have a per-determined interest in engineering as some of the sites can be technical and require the knowledge more specific to math and sciences obtained in high school. This guide also assumes that the reader has a general interest to learn, as many of the websites are full of knowledge relevant to the field of nuclear engineering and will help make the road through college more easily traveled.

Organization of the Guide:

This guide is organized to help you quickly find what youre looking for. The Table Of Contents will help you navigate the guide and direct you to what information you are looking for. The General Sites section is for the engineer seeking help with assignments or interested in learning more about the field and specifics of nuclear engineering. The Careers/Education section will help with students wanting to learn more about reactors and the fundamentals of nuclear power; along with helping them explore the career and organization membership opportunities after college.

Tips for Using the Guide:

For engineers new to the field, start in the General Sites section of the guide to get a good introduction. For engineers looking for to join an organization of nuclear engineers look to the Organizations/Career Sites. The abstracts on each website will quickly help you determine whether or not the website is right for your current situation. Use the tips section of each page to help you better navigate the websites.

General Sites:
Qalculate! (KDE) Manual v0.9.2
http://qalculate.sourceforge.net/kde-manual/index.html

Abstract: This is a simple website useful for nearly all types of mathematical computations. The website is simple in that it lists the subject of your interest within different fields. Each subject contains different sets of equations, constants, or small little tidbits of information relative to that field. This website is useful for homework assignments or any sort of work where calculations need be performed. The website is largely useful for any sort of physics application but also contains other useful tables that can help with the supposed basic knowledge you must have to solve college level equations that one might forget such as trigonometry constants and conversions.

Tips: For the field of Nuclear Engineering, I would recommend section B. Variable List. Most of the constants you will use will be within those tables. Anything under the section C. Unit List will be useful for elements that apply to nuclear physics but may not be directly related, such as energy.

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

http://www.nist.gov/

Abstract: NIST is a great website for reference data. In certain assignments for nuclear engineering one is required to find certain figures on energies of particles or the energy potential of certain particles. NIST provides a lot of tables and data for particles, such as neutrons, that may not be in a textbook. This website is also helpful for learning new ways in which nuclear and electrical engineering are working together to improve energy output. NISTs goal is to improve the electrical grid and efficiencies with output materials, such as nuclear power plants.

Tips: The Subject Areas tab will have relevant information under the Physics section. Use the search bar to really narrow down what you may be looking for. After initial use of the search bar you can refine your search to the right of the search bar for better results.

Nuclear Energy Institute

http://www.nei.org/

Abstract: This website is good for a nuclear engineer with any amount of experience or none. The Nuclear Energy institute is primarily an educational site. It contains information on policy, modern issues, economics of nuclear power, and basic to complex knowledge of nuclear reactors. Any of the first four tabs towards the top of the page will be helpful in these areas. This website is great for exploring nuclear careers and applying to start your career as a nuclear engineer. The careers & education tab is a very useful to source of information for a beginning and experienced engineer. With job searches and information on what companies look for in a nuclear engineer, this site is essential to any student that gives thought to after college.

Tips: Use the search bar in order to receive helpful documents and, sometimes, videos explaining concepts. Start off with the Help for Your Job Search section in the Careers & Education tab to find a job suitable to your liking and search the rest of the site for information relevant to that career from there.

World Nuclear Association

http://www.world-nuclear.org/

Abstract: This website is a useful tool in finding out what is going on currently in the words of nuclear energy. If you are still new to the concept of nuclear energy there is a section towards the top of the page about the basics of nuclear energy. The Information Library tab is useful for finding all things related to nuclear science. Most of the information is on nuclear fission and energy; however, there is also a tab on non-power applications which you may find interesting. The WNA also has a membership that offers benefits in the professional world, which is great for after college. However, you dont need to worry about this membership as it will only apply once you are a part of a company or organization that is a member of ANS. After using the site for a bit, you can easily navigate it and get a feeling for where some piece of information is located.

Tips: For newer engineers, start in the nuclear basics section. Most of the questions you may have will likely be answered there. If you arent sure where to find something, the search bar will tell you where that piece of information is located on their website.

Research Sites:
Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
Primary Search: http://catalog.gpo.gov/F Post-Search for Nuclear Energy: http://catalog.gpo.gov/F/78X3MST7U2KBNDPH5MB89PHGUC1Y17C4QG8V6X8LKAB6RFBQA769121?func=full-set-set&set_number=274168&set_entry=000005&format=999

Abstract: The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications is a website full of federal documents. With over 500,000 publications dating back to 1976, it is sure to have any sort of information you are looking for in a document. The website provides access to all of these documents online for free. The CGP contains publications from a wide variety of subjects and can be searched by agency, title, subject, or generic key words. One can learn many talked-about topics in the field of nuclear engineering from a simple search. By typing Nuclear Energy, I was brought to a list of relevant documents having to do with nuclear energy. I selected the fifth document discussing new projects of the international level concerning a thermonuclear reactor. The site contains man links to sources of data and fully describes the book and author. An engineer thirsting for knowledge would find this site the most useful.

Tips: If you have further questions, use the Federal Depository Library finder located on the main search page to find a location near you that will have a person to further discuss the document or website. E-mail a document to yourself or add to the bookshelf to view it later more conveniently. For very specific information use the Advanced Search. This will help narrow the field by years, language, and specific keywords.

Engineering Village
http://www.engineeringvillage.com/home.url?redir=t&acw=

Abstract: This website is a periodical index database of documents by engineers around the world. Any engineering researching a subject looking for a credential piece of information need look no further. Engineering Village is full of documents ranging from scholarly journals to government reports to patents on any and all things engineering. Experienced nuclear engineers would find the most use out of this website as it is a more technical site with links to many other sites.

Tips: It is easiest to access the website through the libraries website of Penn. State. If you have trouble trying to find something or need help with the website, go to the Ask-AnExpert section where you can email specialists, librarians, and engineers for all your extra questions.

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Statistical Abstract of the United States

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0941.pdf Abstract: The statistical abstract is a large source for summaries for statistical reference in the fields of social, political, and economical information. These sources are both from the government and private sources. On the main page, there is a list of broad topics to help narrow your point of interest. Highlighting the broad topic will bring up subtopics to even further narrow your search. The sources are usually easy to understand and will have summaries explaining what it is you are looking at if you have trouble deciphering the tables. Students looking for statistical data for reports or information for assignments will find this site useful. Upon a search for Nuclear Energy, I was giving many websites relevant to my search. Choosing the first site, I came upon a record for the number, capacity, and generation of power plants by state; this can be found in the link above.

Tips: Use the guide link at the top of the page to get a better understanding of how to utilize the website for your purposes. For more specific searches, click on the table of contents to filter by year and subject. For non-specific searches, the search bar may be used to find a quick source related to your subject.

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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors.html

Abstract: The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commissions website is a great database for finding out what is currently happening in the field of nuclear engineering. It contains all of the U.S.s policies on nuclear research and security within the selected tabs at the top of the page. On the home page, you can find any information you desire about subjects from nuclear reactors to radioactive waste generated by the reactors. This website is useful on both sides of the nuclear knowledge spectrum. Beginning students can use it as an informative tool to learn the fundamentals of reactors and the entire cycle of nuclear fuel. On the other hand, experienced students can use the site to look up documents needed for research and information on future generation reactors. The search bar on the top of site will give a wide array of topics upon a given search to ensure you find what you need.

Tips: On the left side of the screen the Site Help button will help you find something you may have had trouble narrowing down with different search methods. If you are looking for a particular type of information, such as a professional journal, use the site help for a specific search The key topics section on the right side of the screen will help with any relevant important information within the selected reading. The initial search can be narrowed down with the refine search section above the search results.

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American Nuclear Society

http://www.ans.org/

Abstract: The American Nuclear Society is an informational site of various types. One of key components of this site is the career center. With their website you are able to save resumes on their server by signing up to be a member. Memberships come with a multitude of benefits and start at $30 for a college student and $85 for a student who has graduated and is new to the field. With the membership, you can access certain job listings applicable to your specific field of nuclear engineering; making it easy to find jobs you are interested in and easy to apply to those available. This site also contains tabs for professional publications largely available for members. However, they can be purchased electronically by non-members for a fee. This is a good tool to use if you dont want to join ANS but need a one-time buy of a piece of information. One of the free benefits of the site is the public information section. It contains things on matters from news, historical accidents, to the nuclear matters at hand today. Another is the ANS Caf. This page contains links by members of the ANS to third party sites that may help with whatever it is you are looking up.

Tips: Purchasing a membership would be the best way to fully utilize this website. For a non-member, the ANS Caf will be the most useful to you as it is free, but do be careful to look at who conducts the site as not all sites are checked by ANS.

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