History

The Nuclear Engineering Division (NED) was the first division organized in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). The Nuclear Engineering Committee of the AIChE, chaired first by Miles C. Leverett and then by John R. Hoffman, was the forerunner of the Division. The Committee sponsored symposia and lectures in the 1940s. In 1954, the Division was established to provide a forum for the presentation and publication of the flood of newly declassified technology that had been developed early in the atomic energy program. The NED was the first professional organization for the emerging nuclear industry.

The institute opened membership in the Division to all, irrespective of membership in AIChE, and hundreds of scientists and engineers of all disciplines took advantage of the opportunity. Most of the early members of NED who were not chemical engineers ultimately found other associations more suited to their interests. By 1964, they accounted for only about 10 percent of the NED membership. Non-AIChE members interested in the NED are encouraged to join AIChE.

The NED sponsored the First International Congress on Nuclear Engineering and had a major role in the organization of subsequent Nuclear Congresses. The NED had the responsibility for Section N46, Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities, of the American National Standards Institute until 1983. These committee standards were turned over to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

In recent years, the Division has been active in sponsoring nuclear symposia and information to the public. The Division has also provided nuclear information for dissemination to AIChE members living in states which have had nuclear initiatives on the ballot. The present emphasis is on providing factual nuclear information to AIChE members, governmental agencies, and the general public. The Division cooperates with other divisions in areas of mutual interest.