NextGen MURR Working Group established in Missouri
The University of Missouri’s Board of Curators has created the NextGen MURR Working Group to serve as a strategic advisory body for the development of the NextGen MURR (University of Missouri Research Reactor).
NextGen MURR is planned as a 20-plus MW open-pool light water reactor for the university’s cancer-fighting medical isotope research and production. Because the university’s original reactor—MURR—will remain operational, research and production capacity at the university will triple for crucial medical radioisotopes, according to a June 26 press release.
Membership: The objective of the working group is to oversee the strategy and execution of the project. The members are listed below.
• Blaine Luetkemeyer, chair, University of Missouri Board of Curators
• John Raines, University of Missouri Board of Curators
• Matt Sanford, vice chair, MURR executive director
• Michael Hoehn II, secretary, NextGen MURR program director
• Dale Klein, Klein Energy, former commissioner, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Chris Critch, founder and lead strategist, C. Critch Consulting Inc.
• Steve Laflin, former president and CEO, International Isotopes Inc.
• Bob Reymond, former chief operative officer of Energy, Burns & McDonnell
• Kevin Hogg, treasurer, U of Missouri System
• John Brockman, associate director of research and education, MURR
• Dustin Schnieders, assistant vice president, government relations, UM System
• Meichele Foster, assistant vice chancellor for advancement–university programs, University of Missouri
• Mark Menghini, general counsel, UM System
Government support: Earlier this month, Gov. Mike Kehoe and the Missouri General Assembly allocated $50 million in state funding for the design and construction of the facility. The project, which is the largest in the UM System’s history, was officially launched in April through an agreement with a consortium of companies, now working on the initial design studies.
Quotes: “We are committed to NextGen MURR, and we know that this transformative project will produce more medical isotopes, saving the lives of cancer patients in Missouri, across the country, and around the world,” said Board of Curators chair Todd Graves. “I look forward to seeing the progress of the working group and the continued advancement of this project, which also will serve as an economic driver for Missouri and the nation.”
University of Missouri president Mun Choi added, “NextGen MURR is a critical initiative that will improve lives and create opportunities in Missouri and beyond. This working group will provide the expert vision and support we need to achieve our ambitious goals and deliver a world-class research reactor facility.”
Background: At 10 MW, MURR, the university’s existing research reactor, is the most powerful university research reactor in the United States. It has been operational since 1966.
