As a student at ATEMS, Aidan Boisvert had a clear vision: to engage in research and development, a rare opportunity offered by only a handful of universities in the country. Fortunately, one of those opportunities was waiting for him at Abilene Christian University.
When Boisvert graduated from ATEMS in 2022, ACU was preparing to go online with NEXT Lab (Nuclear eXperimental Testing Laboratory). The lab is experimenting with using molten salts, rather than water, as a coolant for nuclear reactors to design and build the first university-based molten salt research reactor.
As students and faculty collaborate to seek creative solutions to complex problems, the next generation of nuclear science and engineering leaders is gaining real-world experience. In the process, they are witnessing firsthand how their innovation and collaboration can positively impact the world.
One of those students working alongside the world-class faculty at ACU is Boisvert, a computer science major scheduled to graduate in 2026. But he has also been a Research Intern at NEXT Lab since May 2022, and recently, he and a team of students built a small prototype (the Tri-Vessel project) of a molten salt reactor to prove its viability.
“The Tri-Vessel project is the prototype of the prototype of the molten salt reactor,” Boisvert explained. “We reduced size and material complexity and worked on a half-scale model built out of generic plastic components. My role with the Tri-Vessel project was to create the electronic systems and write the software for the controls and automated operations. The Tri-Vessel system's purpose was to prove and test the control characteristics of our test salt loop (non-reactor) system using water rather than molten salt.”
Boisvert said his experience at ATEMS, where he participated in the robotics program, honed his skills and helped him prepare to work in the NEXT Lab.
“My experiences at ATEMS were quite helpful in allowing me to jump right into working at the NEXT Lab after graduating from high school,” said Boisvert, who graduated ranked sixth in the Class of 2022. “The most valuable skills I learned were the engineering design process and introductory design skills. The robotics program gave me some early experience with computer programming, which became necessary for my work at ACU.”
Boisvert plans to continue working in the NEXT Lab until he graduates, giving him invaluable real-world experience as a college student. According to Dr. Rusty Towell, the director of the NEXT Lab and a professor in ACU’s Department of Engineering and Physics, that was part of the plan when the lab was in its planning phase.
“Students are an integral part of the NEXT Lab,” said Towell, himself an Abilene ISD alum (Abilene High School) and an ACU graduate. “Students are involved in every step, from designing a 3D molten salt test loop model, physically assembling it, developing its new instruments, and putting together the computational fluid dynamic models. Students are involved in each step of the NEXT Lab.
“The research at NEXT Lab is critical because it provides students a real-world opportunity to apply in the lab what they’ve learned in the classroom,” Towell said. “So for them, it’s a chance to solve real-world problems in world-class environments and to do it alongside Christian mentors. Our students are involved in every step.”
NEXT Lab's goals are to provide clean, safe, and affordable energy to the world, abundant clean water, and medical isotopes that aid in treating and curing cancer. The opportunity to do hands-on work in those areas was the driving force behind Boisvert’s decision to attend ACU after he graduated from ATEMS.
"Every day I go into the lab to work on this NEXT Lab project, I feel a great sense of purpose,” the AISD alum said. “The opportunity to work on this project and the positive impact it could have on the world was the main reason behind my choice to attend ACU, and I don't regret it for a moment. Going to work, helping with the construction of salt systems, and building programs to operate and do scientific measurements gives me a feeling of satisfaction and pride in my work.”
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