In the American Nuclear Society (ANS) Professional Division Awards, Professor Richard T. Wood was honored with the Don Miller Award from the Human Factors, Instrumentation, and Controls Division.
This award recognizes his lifelong commitment and contributions to nuclear digital system design, licensing, and standards, with an emphasis on all aspects of digital system safety, reliability, and qualification in the US and international communities.
“This is an exceedingly great honor, and I am very humbled to be recognized by my colleagues at ANS,” said Wood. “I was fortunate to work closely with Don Miller during my career, so this award is especially meaningful to me. I am proud to continue the tradition of UTNE for scientific leadership and strong technical contributions in the field of nuclear plant I and C research.”
Wood is the fourth professor from the Department of Nuclear Engineering at UT to receive this award since its inception in 2010. Others include Professor Robert Uhrig, Professor Rafael Perez, and Professor Emeritus Belle Upadhyaya.
“Richard contributes great expertise to the field of nuclear engineering, such as research into the common-cause failure of embedded digital devices,” said Department of Nuclear Engineering Head Wes Hines. “He is very deserving of recognition for his work on nuclear safety systems.”
Don Miller was a professor of nuclear engineering at The Ohio State University. He was a subject matter expert in nuclear plant instrumentation and control applications and served on the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Additionally, he led a small advisory group, of which Wood was a member, that worked with the US Department of Energy to establish research programs to advance the state of the art for I and C technology.
Established in 1954, ANS is an international professional organization of engineers and scientists devoted to the peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology.
Its more than 9,500 members represent government, academia, research laboratories, medical facilities, and private industry. ANS’s mission is to advance, foster, and spur the development and application of nuclear science, engineering, and technology to benefit society.