Over the past 10 years, a special radiation training laboratory has been established and equipped through Used Nuclear Type Equipment grants, NSF grants, local school support, and industry donations. St. Mary's College has become a center of excellence in education in radiation sciences. This project fills certain important gaps in the instrumentation so that students can be properly prepared to enter the modern industrial and academic research laboratories. A Mossbauer Spectroscopy system will allow students to learn the principles of this important technique which is being used widely to examine the surface structures of materials, particularly in radioactive waste disposal. A new multichannel analyzer will allow superior analysis and make full use of an existing intrinsic germanium detector. New sources of radiation will enable students to perform better experiments. Finally, monitoring equipment will enable the department to ensure that radiation sources are used safely.
