Nuclear Science Center appoints new director

Closeup of Corey Hines.
Corey Hines

Corey Hines has been appointed as the new director for the Washington State University’s Nuclear Science Center. Hines has served as interim director for the NSC following the retirement of Don Wall. The new appointment as director became effective on July 1.

“With over a decade of experience in reactor operations management, Corey has worked to achieve successes in areas of operational excellence, the WSU reactor core conversion, student reactor operator training, and client engagement at local, national, and international levels. His leadership in supervising externally funded research will serve as an asset to the University as we continue to work towards becoming a top 25 public research university,” said Chris Keane, vice president for research.

The WSU Nuclear Science Center (NSC) provides a collaborative environment where WSU faculty, staff, students, and clients can succeed in their basic and applied nuclear science research goals. The NSC prepares WSU students for successful entry into the scientific workforce, provides the pathway to discovery in novel research, and makes impactful contributions to science and to the people who work and study here.  The center features research laboratories as part of the NSC User Facility, including the University’s 1 MW TRIGA nuclear reactor.

“I am excited to lead this nationally recognized research center and look forward to facilitating continued growth of our research programs,” Hines said.

As director, Hines will be responsible for supervising facility and staff, and providing oversight for the safe and secure operations of the NSC. Hines will also be the primary point of contact for communication between the facility, university administration, and state and federal agencies. He will communicate science to a diverse audience and promote the center’s research projects.

Hines graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and from the University of Alabama with a Master of Science in chemistry. During the last 11 years, Hines has worked at the Nuclear Science Center managing its reactor operations and working to build the teaching and operations vision for the center.

“During my time at NSC, we have increased our client base and serve projects that span the globe with national importance specifically,” Hines said. “We produce radioisotopes for industry, national labs, and WSU faculty every day. Additionally, we have drastically increased our efforts in teaching – WSU undergraduate and graduate students now train to operate and become licensed on the 1 MW TRIGA reactor, as well as participate in summer internships at the Idaho National Laboratory and engineering firms.”

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