For 65 years, the Washington State University TRIGA nuclear reactor has been an invaluable resource for research, education and innovation. In this episode, Dave Whitehead visits the university to talk with President Betsy Cantwell and the Director of the WSU Nuclear Science Center, Corey Hines, about the origins and impact of the research reactor and how WSU is building on its legacy with new investments, expanded facilities and programs designed to train the next generation of nuclear professionals.

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President

Dr. Cantwell became Washington State University’s 12th president on April 1, 2025, bringing extensive experience in research leadership. Before joining WSU, she served as president of Utah State University, a space and land-grant R1 institution, where she managed a $1.3 billion annual operating budget and successfully led a redesign of the Academic Enterprise and increased annual research expenditures. Prior to that time, Dr. Cantwell held senior leadership positions at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University, where she significantly expanded their research enterprises. Her distinguished career also includes extensive service in U.S. national security, with leadership roles at several national laboratories. She holds degrees from Wharton (MBA), UC Berkeley (Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering), and the University of Chicago (BA, Human Behavior). She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  

Dr. Betsy Cantwell

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Director

Corey is the director of the Nuclear Science Center (NSC) at Washington State University. The NSC is a collaborative center that operates WSU’s 1 MW TRIGA reactor, engages in applied and fundamental research, and seeks to advance students throughout their careers with opportunities in nuclear science. He has over 18 years of experience in research and test reactor management, maintains a senior reactor operator license, was responsible for leading the core fuel conversion in 2008, was a contributing team member to the facility operating relicensing activities completed in 2011, and is responsible for teaching and licensing over 75 reactor operators and senior reactor operators. He dedicates his time to facility safety, growth in innovative research, and the three-fold mission of the NSC – education, research, and operational excellence.

New Nuclear: Building Capacity, Talent, and Technology at WSU