The Nuclear Engineering Program (PEN) at COPPE and the Department of Nuclear Engineering (DNC) at the School of Engineering have been operating, since 1972, in an integrated manner. Professors work both in postgraduate (PEN) and undergraduate (DNC), always promoting teaching and research in an inseparable way.
In accordance with PEN's mission and objective, as well as the Program's transdisciplinarity, the Curriculum Structure is associated with the areas of concentration, as well as the lines of research of PEN professors. The Program offers a Master of Science (M.Sc.) and Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree to candidates with a higher education degree in Nuclear Engineering and/or related areas, with the possibility of choosing the area focus of your research. All this, as long as they have been classified and approved in the specific selection process, which generally takes place at PEN between January and March of each year.
The Federal University of Rio Janeiro (UFRJ), with the collaboration of the former National School of Engineering (current Polytechnic School of UFRJ), supported by CAPES, created in the fifties two specialization courses in Nuclear Engineering; one of Extension of Introduction to Nuclear Engineering, lasting 01 (one) year, and another lato sensu postgraduate course in Nuclear Science and Technology, lasting two years. Both courses followed the pattern of courses abroad, designed to give graduates of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Engineering courses a professional specialization in nuclear energy.
During the following years, UFRJ continued to educate and train people for the nuclear sector through its two specialization courses. However, in 1968, in a pioneering role, COPPE/UFRJ created the Postgraduate Program in Nuclear Engineering (PEN), at the master's level, seeking to train and form a specialized technical workforce at the postgraduate level.
In 1979, he began his doctoral course, which was a natural evolution of the country's scientific development, the technical training of COPPE's own faculty and the demand on the part of already graduated masters. All this effort was a response to the growing need for specialized labor aimed at training professionals with more firmness in their purposes, managing uncomfortable situations well, overcoming obstacles, having emotional intelligence in order to reach the end in the execution of their tasks. and capable of working in industry and research in this sector.
PEN has always been ahead of its time, offering proactive responses to the national nuclear sector, always reflecting positive policy changes in this sector. Clear examples are: the creation of a master's course in Nuclear Engineering, when the decision was taken to build the Angra I Nuclear Power Plant, and the creation of an emphasis on Nuclear Engineering for undergraduate courses in Physics and Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at occasion of the Brazil-Germany agreement.
Throughout its almost 55 years of existence, PEN has become a center of excellence in teaching, research and extension, being a national reference for the nuclear sector, whether by training human resources, generating specialized technical labor, or for the technological contribution, aimed at the development of national technology projects, for a wide range of companies in the nuclear sector, such as: Nuclebrás, Eletronuclear, CNEN, INB, etc.
In addition, PEN has contributed fruitfully over the last few years to the context of the nuclear sector, through the performance of its professors and graduates in relevant positions in the sector, namely: Presidency of the Nuclear Industries of Brazil, Director of the Institute of Engineering Nuclear at CNEN, Superintendence of Fuel and Nuclear Safety at Eletronuclear, Coordination of the National Institute of Science and Technology of Advanced and Innovative Nuclear Reactors (INCTRNI/CNPq), Coordination of the Nuclear Engineering Area at FAPERJ, Coordination of the Undergraduate Course in Nuclear Engineering from the Polytechnic School of UFRJ, Head of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Penn State University (USA), among others.
All this excellence in research and teaching has only been possible due to the continuous support given by the country's main research promotion bodies and agencies, among which we give special emphasis to the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel.
The objective of PEN is to act in the formation of masters and doctors, leaders and professionals of excellence to work in the academic and/or industrial sectors, providing fundamental knowledge of Nuclear Engineering and related technologies, analytical and problem-solving capacity, professional ethics and technical independence. /scientific in its area of expertise, focusing on Brazilian society and the interests of Brazil.
The PEN's mission is to be the national reference institution and the main scientific academic center for training in the area of nuclear engineering, enjoying unshakable international recognition for its contributions to the state of the art and for its role in the development of Brazil and Brazilian society. To train leaders and professionals of excellence to work in industry, in national/international laboratories, in graduate schools, in federal and defense agencies, providing fundamental knowledge of Nuclear Engineering and related technologies.
Teaching, research and project development activities are grouped into the five areas listed below, the descriptions of which are presented below:
The Nuclear Engineering Program, linked to COPPE – UFRJ, it is composed of a highly qualified faculty, with all professors having DSC or PhD degrees. The head of PEN is Professor Inayá Corrêa Barbosa Lima and the Program aims at training personnel at the graduate level, as well as developing basic and applied research in the nuclear area.
