Reactor Overview
The radiation center is located on the west side of the OSU campus, across the street from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offices and about half a mile from Reser Stadium.
The reactor is a Mark II TRIGA reactor with a maximum thermal output of 1.1 MW and can be pulsed up to a power of 3000 MW for a very short time. The fuel is low enriched uranium. Operation began in 1967.
The reactor supported 96 academic courses in 1999. These courses were in chemistry, civil engineering, chemical engineering, geosciences, oceanography and atmospheric sciences, bioresource engineering, honors college and naval engineering disciplines.
The OSU Radiation center supported 126 projects in 2000 with 69% directly involving use of the OSTR. Contracts supporting these projects in 2000 totaled $3 million.
The mission statement of the center is
To serve as the campus wide teaching, research, and service facility for programs involving the use of ionizing radiation and radioactive materials.
Read more about this topic: Oregon State University Radiation Center