ACU celebrates grand opening of science, research facility designed for advanced nuclear research reactor

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Sep 07, 2023, 10:43 ET

ABILENE, Texas, Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gayle and Max Dillard Science and Engineering Research Center (SERC) – home of Abilene Christian University's Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Laboratory (NEXT Lab) and the future home of one of the first advanced reactors in the United States – opened on Sept. 1, with more than 300 people on hand to celebrate the occasion and tour the facility, including donors, government officials, and scientists from ACU and other research institutions.

The research bay and an illustrated rendering of the molten salt research reactor in ACU's Dillard Science and Engineering Research Center

"The Dillard Science and Engineering Research Center is a building unlike any other at ACU or on the campus of most universities across the nation," said Dr. Phil Schubert, ACU president, at the opening of the facility. "This 28,000-square-foot facility will allow students, especially undergraduates, to contribute to world-class research and groundbreaking technology in ways not available at most other universities. It also will bring scientists from other organizations and universities to Abilene to collaborate with our scientists and students in this unique space."

The $23 million, 28,000-square-foot facility features a 6,000-square-foot research bay with a 25-foot-deep by 80-foot-long shielded trench and a 40-ton crane, as well as a training control room, conference room, office spaces, machine shop, and a series of specialized labs for radiochemistry, molten salt systems and instrumentation. A public foyer highlights the research within the facility.

The SERC houses ACU's Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing (NEXT) Lab, which has joined with Abilene-based Natura Resources to design, license and commission a molten salt-fueled research reactor. To support these efforts, Natura established the Natura Resources Research Alliance, which consists of ACU, Georgia Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University and The University of Texas at Austin, supported by $30.5 million in sponsored research agreements. A construction permit application is under review with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Currently, NEXT Lab employs more than 75 people, including 45 undergraduate students.

"ACU has shown vision and is demonstrating leadership by pushing what has been a paper reactor class for more than 50 years back into reality. The success of your reactor will spark the imagination and provide inspiration to the world," Dr. David Holcomb, molten salt reactor technology leader at Idaho National Laboratory, said in his remarks at the event. "ACU has picked up the gauntlet in the creation of this science and engineering research center. Members of the Natura Resources Research Alliance have the responsibility and privilege of training the next generation of leaders, who I am confident will bring the great potential of this reactor class to fruition."

The new facility is made possible by the generosity of Gayle and Max Dillard. Gayle attended ACU in the 1950s and then married Max, a first-generation college student and second-generation oil man from Lueders, Texas, who was wrapping up his degree in petroleum engineering. They went on to found D.I. Industries, which grew to become one of the largest publicly traded drilling companies in the United States, pioneering many engineering breakthroughs in drilling methods and advancement since 1978. Max currently serves as managing director of The Dillard Group of Texas LTD.

This career allowed the Dillards opportunities to support others in research and scientific advancement, as well as supporting Gayle's alma mater, where lifetime friendships were made. They provide engineering scholarships at ACU and also are the namesakes of Dillard Hall, the three-story venue a block west of campus housing about 170 students and providing living space for sophomore women at the university.

Founded in 1906, Abilene Christian University enrolls more than 5,700 students in robust online and residential undergraduate and graduate programs. Students choose from 87 baccalaureate majors that include more than 171 areas of study, 71 areas of study in master's degree and specialist programs, and four doctoral programs. ACU's mission is to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world. Abilene Christian is one of only 19 universities to be ranked in the top 50 nationally for both Undergraduate Teaching and Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects in the 2022-23 U.S. News & World Report rankings. Learn more at acu.edu.

SOURCE Abilene Christian University