Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 1242015 | ANNUAL REPORT 27 NSUF: A Model for Collaboration NSUF and its partner facilities repre- sent a prototype laboratory for the future.This unique model utilizes a distributed partnership with each facility bringing exceptional capa- bilities to the relationship including reactors, beamlines, state-of-the-art instruments, hot cells, and most importantly, expert mentors.Together, these capabilities and people create a nationwide infrastructure that allows the best ideas to be proven using the most advanced capabilities.Through NSUF, university researchers and their collaborators are building on current knowledge to better understand the complex behavior of materials and fuels in a nuclear reactor. In 2015, NSUF’s partnership program had eight universities, two national laboratories, and one industry partner. The partner facility capabilities greatly expand the types of research offered to users.The avenues opened through these partnerships facilitate cooperative research across the country, matching people with capabilities and students with mentors. In 2015, NSUF included INL and the following institutions: • Illinois Institute ofTechnology • Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology • North Carolina State University • Oak Ridge National Laboratory • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory • Purdue University • University of California, Berkeley • University of Michigan • University of Nevada, LasVegas • University of Wisconsin • Westinghouse The pages that follow contain specific details on the capabilities of NSUF, its partners, and how to access these capabilities through the calls for proposals.There is also informa- tion on the Users Meeting, a yearly event hosted by NSUF designed to instruct and inform.This event is free of charge to interested persons, and a number of scholarships for travel and hotel are offered to students and faculty.Take time to familiarize yourself with the many opportunities offered by NSUF and consider submit- ting a proposal or two. NSUF Research Supports DOE-NE Missions The U.S. DOE-NE organizes its research and development activities based on four main objectives that address challenges to expanding the use of nuclear power: • Develop technologies and other solutions that can improve the reli- ability, sustain the safety, and extend the life of current reactors. • Develop improvements in the affordability of new reactors to enable nuclear energy to help meet the administration’s energy security and climate change goals. • Develop sustainable nuclear fuel cycles. • Understand and minimize the risks of nuclear proliferation and terrorism. NSUF research addresses a number of these mission needs. Most of the research contained in this report looks at either understanding the mecha- nisms of radiation on materials and fuels to address the challenges of the aging current fleet, or looks at mate- rials and fuels for the next generation of reactors.To be eligible as an NSUF research project, the research must support at least one of the DOE-NE missions. For specific information on DOE missions, go to http://www. energy.gov/ne/mission. To learn more about proposing a research project, visit the NSUF website: nsuf.inl.gov. PROGRAM OVERVIEW