UT Knoxville and Y-12 Nuclear Security complex have signed an agreement, enhancing their partnership. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by UT Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek and Darrel Kohlhorst, B&W Y-12 president and general manager, during a meeting on Wednesday, September 28.
“This partnership will help our students, and the missions of both UT and Y-12,” said Cheek. “Key partnerships like this are vital in our quest to become a Top 25 public research university.”
The agreement allows for joint appointments of key researchers, engineers, executives, and staff between UT and Y-12. This is the first such agreement for a National Nuclear Security Administration production site and will benefit both organizations in their research, technology and business goals.
The agreement is similar to the one already held between UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory allowing joint appointments.
UT and Y-12 already work together on several projects that benefit UT students and Y-12 employees. Twenty-two graduate students hold research assistant positions at Y-12 this fall and nineteen Y-12 employees are currently enrolled in an on-site master’s program taught by UT faculty. The two also have partnerships within the Colleges of Business Administration, Engineering, Architecture and Design and the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy.