$4 million grant to fund research on spent nuclear fuel storage.

• Position: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

The University of South Carolina's nuclear engineering program has received a $4 million federal grant to research ways to more effectively store used fuel left over from the process of making nuclear power. The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the grants to five universities across the country: USC, Georgia Tech, MIT, the University of Wisconsin and Penn State University.

Nuclear energy facilities power more than 50 percent of South Carolina's homes and businesses. Used nuclear fuel is stored safely around the country, including in South Carolina, in dry cask storage canisters made of steel and concrete. This used fuel is expected to be stored for decades before it is disposed of in an eventual geologic repository or recycled as fuel for future reactors.

The research is a collaborative effort with the University of Florida and South Carolina State University, as well as corporate partner AREVA Inc. A global nuclear industry provider with headquarters in France, AREVA has offices in Aiken, S.C., and in Charlotte, along with facilities around the world.

Under the direction...