MIT Research Reactor, Massachusetts

In its initial incarnation as MITR-1, the then five megawatt nuclear reactor, achieved criticality in 1958, remaining in continuous operation until 1973, when it was shut down, in order to implement various upgrades. In 2010, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), approved all proposed upgrades, including increasing the power level to six megawatts, as well as relicensing the reactor (renamed MITR-II), for an additional twenty years. The presence of the reactor on campus has facilitated research in a number of disciplines, including Nuclear Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Nutrition and Food Science, Materials Science, and Environmental Studies.  One common use of the reactor involves the study of irradiated samples. Material is irradiated by passing it through one of the 15 beam ports that penetrate the protective concrete shield. One of a few research reactors in the state, including the one at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. The MITR-II facility is located across Massachusetts Avenue from the main campus at MIT. Currently it is the second largest university research reactor in the U.S.