Graduate Programs - USA
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE
Graduate studies in radiochemistry and nuclear chemistry leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are offered in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California at Irvine. Course offerings in this field include a lecture/laboratory course on Radioisotope Techniques, a lecture course on Nuclear and Radiochemistry, and Special Topics courses on Nuclear Reactor Theory and Operation, and on Nuclear Activation Analysis. A regular Monday evening seminar series on Radiochemistry/Activation Analysis is held throughout the academic year.

Areas of research emphasis are those of neutron activation analysis (NAA), radiotracer methods, and hot-atom chemistry. Chemistry Department faculty concentrating in the field of radiochemistry are Professor F. Sherwood Rowland and Lecture/Reactor Supervisor George E. Miller. The principal relevant research facilities in the Department include (1) a 250 kW TRIGA Mark I nuclear reactor (which also can be pulsed to 1000 MW peak power), (2) a Kaman sealed-tube high-output 14 MeV neutron generator, (3) three 4096-channel Ge(Li) gamma-ray spectrometers, (4) a normal (3-second) transfer system and a fully-automated fast transfer (0.4-second) system for use with the reactor, with both unlined and cadmium-lined termini, (5) a sophisticated fast-transfer system for use with the 14 MeV neutron generator, for high-precision oxygen determinations, (6) a delayed neutron counting system for use with the reactor, for determinations of uranium and thorium, (7) an 8,000-curie Cs-137 gamma irradiator for radiation chemistry studies, (8) several NaI(Tl) gamma-ray spectrometers, and (9) a modern automatic coincidence liquid scintillation spectrometer. Each of the three Ge(Li) spectrometers is equipped with a built-in small computer, for rapid on-site data processing, and with magnetic-tape or disc storage, and line printers. More extensive data processing is carried out with PDP-11/45 and DEC-10 computers in the Computing Facility. The extremely useful INAA Advance Prediction Computer Programs (APCP's), developed at UC Irvine, utilize these latter two computers.

Both basic studies (e.g., reactor-pulsing INAA, development of various APCP's, studies of non-stoichiometric oxides, and hot-atom studies of chemical reaction mechanisms) and application studies (e.g., applications of NAA in forensic, environmental, geochemical oceanographic, biomedical, and archaeological studies) are conducted. Since the time of the installation of nuclear facilities in the U.C. Irvine Department of Chemistry in 1969, some 200 research publications have resulted. Both Teaching Assistantships and Research Assistantships are available.

For additional information, please contact:
Professor F. Sherwood Rowland
Department of Chemistry
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92717
PHONE: (714) 856-6091
WEBSITE