UT and Y-12 sign employee agreement

UT Knoxville and Y-12 Nuclear Security Complex have signed an agreement, enhancing our partnership.

Darrel Kohlhorst, B&W Y-12 president and general manager, and I signed a Memorandum of Understanding last month that allows for collaborative research projects and joint appointments of key researchers, engineers, executives, and staff between UT and Y-12. This is the first such agreement for a National Nuclear Security Administration production site and will benefit both organizations in their research, technology, and business goals.

The agreement is similar to the one already held between UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory allowing joint appointments.

This partnership will help our students and the missions of both UT and Y-12. Key partnerships like this are vital in our quest to become a Top 25 public research university.

UT and Y-12 already work together on several projects that benefit UT students and Y-12 employees. Twenty-two graduate students hold research assistant positions at Y-12 this fall, and nineteen Y-12 employees are currently enrolled in an on-site master's program taught by UT faculty. The two also have partnerships within the colleges of Business Administration, Engineering, and Architecture and Design and the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy.