After nearly 40 years in the nuclear industry, Brant Ulsh thought he’d seen just about everything.
The highs. The lows. The promises of a nuclear comeback that never quite materialized.
He was studying nuclear engineering when the Chernobyl disaster happened in 1986. Decades later, just as the industry appeared ready for a resurgence, Fukushima happened in 2011.
Each time, momentum stalled.
So when Ulsh, the president of the American Academy of Health Physics (AAHP), attended the recent Texas Nuclear Summit, he wasn’t necessarily expecting anything different.
“I was wrong,” he said. “I was floored by what I saw.”
Companies weren’t simply discussing nuclear projects or presenting concepts for the future. They were moving forward with small modular reactors (SMRs), pursuing regulatory approvals, investing in uranium production and developing ways to power industrial facilities and data centers with nuclear energy.
After years of waiting, something had changed.
“They’re done talking,” Ulsh says. “They’re building. They’re building a lot.”
But amid the excitement, Ulsh saw a growing concern: Who would provide the radiation protection expertise these new facilities would need? As nuclear development accelerates, the pipeline of health physicists, radiation protection technicians and certified health physicists (CHPs) hasn’t kept pace.
With university programs disappearing and fewer students entering the field, Ulsh worries the industry isn’t doing enough to prepare. Now, he’s working with other radiation protection organizations to push for more investment in education and training, starting in Texas.
Here’s how he’s doing it.
A Nuclear Renaissance with a Missing Piece
The Texas Nuclear Summit brought together developers, executives, financial leaders and other professionals helping drive the next generation of nuclear energy.
Ulsh attended through a connection with an AAHP Executive Committee member active in the Texas nuclear industry. He also participated in a breakout session focused on radiation protection workforce development.
The session featured three perspectives.
One was a representative from Wharton County Junior College, who discussed efforts to develop a two-year training program for radiation protection technicians. Another was a representative from Texas A&M University. They addressed the importance of a four-year health physics education. Ulsh focused on professional development and CHP certification, areas he believes aren’t receiving enough attention.
Ulsh says nuclear engineers are a major focus of the industry’s expansion. Companies need them to design reactors, develop technologies and move projects toward operation. But facilities also need radiation protection technicians, health physicists and CHPs to assess radiation risks, develop safety programs, meet regulatory requirements and protect workers and the public. And Ulsh worries that many organizations are overlooking that part of their workforce planning.
“The further you get into this licensing and building and commissioning, you are going to need a radiation safety workforce,” he says. “You can’t just snap your fingers and make them appear.”
Where Did All the Health Physics Programs Go?
Consider Texas.
The state is becoming a major center for nuclear development, with growing interest in SMRs, uranium production and other nuclear technologies. Yet, according to Ulsh, Texas has no active university health physics degree programs.
Not one.
Texas A&M University, which previously offered a program, mothballed it. For Ulsh, the discovery was difficult to reconcile with everything else happening in the state. “That was stunning to me,” Ulsh says. “Just stunning.”
The good news is that the program may not be gone for good. According to the Texas A&M representative at the summit, faculty and resources remain in place to help revive it. But that hasn’t happened yet. Meanwhile, Wharton County Junior College is developing a curriculum for radiation protection technicians, offering another potential pathway into the profession.
Similar efforts are needed outside Texas, too.
For decades, health physics programs nationwide have faced declining enrollment, reduced financial assistance and fewer prospective students. Ulsh says the reasons are tied to the nuclear industry’s history. As nuclear construction slowed, facilities closed and changes within the U.S. Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons enterprise reduced employment opportunities, students began looking elsewhere. Universities responded to declining demand. And as experienced health physicists retired, fewer young professionals entered the field to replace them.
“In order for people to go into the field, you have to have job prospects coming out the other end,” Ulsh says.
Today, those prospects are improving dramatically. But the educational pipeline hasn’t caught up.
Turning Concern into Action
Ulsh sees an opportunity for Texas to act.
The Texas state government has launched an effort to assess the state’s radiation protection workforce needs, with the University of Texas helping prepare a report to inform state lawmakers. The goal is to determine how demand for radiation protection professionals will grow as nuclear development expands and whether Texas educational institutions are equipped to meet that demand.
Ulsh says the effort deserves strong professional support. And he’s working to make that happen. He’s organizing a joint letter involving AAHP, the Health Physics Society (HPS) and the National Registry of Radiation Protection Technologists (NRRPT). The letter is intended to support the workforce study and encourage state investment in radiation protection education and training.
For Ulsh, the next steps are clear: Support universities capable of educating health physicists, help community colleges establish radiation protection technician programs and provide scholarships and grants that make these careers accessible to students.
“There has to be support at the state level, because it’s not coming from the feds yet,” he says.
Texas is already committing substantial resources to nuclear development. Ulsh wants to see radiation protection education included in that investment.
Because building reactors is only part of building a nuclear industry.
Time to Build
Toward the end of the summit, Ulsh received a YETI water bottle commemorating his participation.
“Time to build,” the bottle read
After decades of uncertainty, nuclear energy was moving forward with new projects and renewed investment. But Ulsh says that same urgency needs to extend to radiation protection education and training.
The industry will need qualified professionals to assess radiation risks, maintain safety programs and protect workers and the public. And developing that workforce takes time.
Because the time to build isn’t just about reactors. It’s about the people who will keep them safe. “That’s CHPs,” Ulsh says.
To learn more about becoming a Certified Health Physicist, explore AAHP certification resources and take the next step in your radiation protection career.