Help wanted: nuclear detection experts.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew
• Position: SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs

AS IS THE CASE IN MANY fields in the homeland security and defense industry, the nuclear material detection world has an acute shortage of research scientists.

The Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office is taking a proactive approach by setting up the academic research program to encourage undergraduates and graduate students to pursue the relatively esoteric discipline.

The goat is to generate new ideas, while simultaneously developing the next generation of nuclear detection scientists.

"It's very hard to hire people with nuclear experience," said Joel Rynes, program manager at DNDO's office of transformational research and development.

A workshop to discuss how the program should be implemented was held Sept. 22, and included members of academia...