APPC is currently seeking new volunteers from the Society who wish to become PEVs to ensure that undergraduate nuclear-related education is held to the highest standards.
Details: PEV evaluations are performed according to a set of ABET criteria that includes requirements for the program, students, faculty, facilities, curriculum, and continuous improvement. Some of these criteria are broadly required for any ABET accreditation, while others are specifically tailored to the needs of nuclear and radiological engineering.
PEVs are responsible for ensuring that the academic program being evaluated meets these ABET criteria. As part of the evaluation process, PEVs have the unique opportunity to actively assist institutions in improving the quality of their academic programs, while also gaining knowledge of many different curricula.
Before visiting an educational institution, PEVs first perform a thorough curriculum analysis, contact program staff, and begin drafting a visit report. This work takes approximately 30–40 hours. The following institutional site visit usually takes three days.
Testimonial: “Being a PEV is an opportunity for engineers and scientists who have experience in the nuclear field and interest in nuclear engineering education to support educational institutions in a very constructive and tangible way,” said Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar, a professor at Idaho State University and ANS past president (2020–2021). “Professionally, I have grown in the process of training and serving as a PEV. I have made professional connections and affiliations that otherwise would not have happened.”
The prerequisites: In order to become a PEV, you must:
- Be an active ANS member.
- Be a graduate of an ABET-accredited program.
- Have a strong interest in academic accreditation activities.
- Have acquired at least five years of experience in the nuclear field through academia, industry, national labs, and/or government organizations.
- Meet all general ABET competencies.
Application process: Interested candidates must first complete an application through ABET; click here to begin the process. The application is then reviewed by APPC. If approved, APPC nominates the candidate to ABET, after which approximately 20 hours of online training must be completed.
Next, a candidate completes either in-person or virtual training, for which ANS covers associated travel and living expenses. Finally, a candidate will likely be requested to perform an observer visit.
Go deeper: To read more testimonials and information on becoming a PEV, click here. For any further questions, please contact askanything@ans.org.
