University of Wyoming President Shane Reeves dedicated a day of meetings to Lincoln County at the end of September, starting with a morning tour of TerraPower Natrium Nuclear Plant under construction near Kemmerer and concluding with a luncheon for local business leaders in Afton.

Reeves was named the 29th President earlier this year. UW reports, “prior to his appointment as President, he retired from the Army as a Brigadier General, most recently serving as the 15th Dean of the Academic Board at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he led the Academy’s academic enterprise and served as its chief academic officer. He oversaw more than 800 faculty and staff across 13 departments, managed a budget of approximately $80 million, and guided a curriculum spanning 36 majors and 14 minors.”

Dr. Reeves, a native of Rock Springs, is a 1996 graduate of West Point. He earned his J.D. from the College of William & Mary, graduating in the top ten percent of his class and serving on Law Review, before completing an LL.M. in Military Law at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School.

As a Judge Advocate, he served as Chief of Legal Assistance at Fort Riley, Brigade Judge Advocate in Iraq with the 1st Armored Division, Senior Trial Counsel with the 1st Infantry Division, and Deputy Legal Advisor at Joint Special Operations Command. His service was recognized with the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star.

Concluding his tour at the Natrium Nuclear facility Dr. Reeves was impressed with what was happening in the Kemmerer area and offered the university’s assistance.

“I am excited about all that Terra Power has accomplished in Kemmerer to date and all that is to come. What a facility, and what a group of people making it happen,” Reeves said. “There is literally nothing like this plant in the world, so once again Wyoming is leading, and UW stands ready to assist with workforce development, research, and expanding economic development for the state and Lincoln County. “

He added, “A representative of Terra Power noted Kemmerer is a community with a high energy IQ, and UW is the same. Whether the source to feed the world’s insatiable appetite for energy is coal or oil and gas, or nuclear, we stand ready to partner with the state and our industries to move forward for the benefit of Wyoming and our nation’s security.”

Dr. Reeve acknowledged the initial support coming from UW.

“The School of Energy Resources established the Nuclear Energy Research Center (NERC) in 2021 in response to TerraPower’s announcement of the Natrium reactor project in Kemmerer, with the goal of rapidly building nuclear energy research and teaching capacity at the University of Wyoming,” he recalled. “Supported by two state appropriations totaling $4 million, NERC has worked closely with our College of Engineering and Physical Sciences to develop laboratory facilities equipped to work with radioactive materials, support recruitment of two additional faculty members, and create undergraduate and graduate nuclear energy certificates.”

UW reported, NERC’s work is guided by a NERC technical advisory board composed of representatives from TerraPower, the Wyoming Mining Association, Tri-State, the Wyoming Energy Authority, Idaho National Laboratory, the Wyoming Legislature through Rep. Lloyd Larsen, and the University of Michigan’s nuclear engineering program.

In addition, UW’s portfolio of research spans a broad range of topics, such as uranium exploration, nuclear fuel performance, reactor materials and fuel-cladding safety, digital twins for nuclear fuel repurposing, and the potential for advanced reactors to power data centers. The portfolio also includes economic analysis of adopting small modular reactors or manufacturing their components, social license studies examining public perceptions of nuclear generation, and a dedicated study of public perceptions and policy in a Wyoming nuclear host community.

Additional activities with UW include legal and policy research on nuclear facility siting and public information guides on nuclear waste and participation in facility authorizations.

Pres. Reeves concluded, “It was awesome to connect with folks from Lincoln County again. We discussed the future of power with Terra Power, laughed a lot with longtime supporters of Cowboy and Cowgirl athletics in Kemmerer, and met with business and community members with the Lincoln County Economic Development Board in Afton.”

He concluded, “The traditional Wyoming values of grit, character, independence of thought and action and accountability were evident throughout those meetings, and they are the foundation of what we do at the University of Wyoming. Thanks to all for welcoming us to Lincoln County.”