Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | August 20, 2018 | Worcester Business Journal 45 I n December 2015, John Boice, president of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, cit- ed the alarming decrease in qualified nuclear scientists. Boice warned how the lack of qualified nuclear science professionals coupled with limited advocacy and a de- crease in federal and state funding led to a national crisis in which urgent national needs will not be met. Over the past few years, steps have been taken to help remedy this situa- tion. Last month, the Nuclear Regula- tory Commission awarded 51 grants totaling $15 million to 40 universities to enhance nuclear science and engi- neering education and research pro- grams. Regionally, grants were awarded to Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MIT, and UMass Lowell. Worcester, in particular, stands to gain from this new development. Due to Worcester's concentration of high-quality universities, hospitals and industry, Central Massachusetts is perfectly positioned to become a leader in developing the next generation of nuclear scientists. Nuclear scientists are employed in fields as diverse as diagnostic and therapeutic medicine (medical physics); radiological health, safety and protection (health physics); nuclear power, security and environmental protection. Central Mass. universities could gain national recognition by having local universities, hospitals and industry working together to offer multi-disciplinary nuclear programs. It will take vision and creativity to launch these programs. Programs could be offered at various local universities to represent all levels of nuclear science education, including associate's degrees in radiologic and MRI technology (me- dian annual national salary of about $60,000) and nuclear medicine technology ($75,000); bachelor's degrees in radiation dosimetry ($114,000) and health physics ($80,000 uncertified to $115,000 with certification) as well as gradu- ate degrees in medical physics ($120,000). Each program should have a steering committee includ- ing regional representatives in education, health care and in- dustry. e committee would be charged with updating the program curriculum, discussing needs and advocating for modern equipment. An overall program steering committee could be formed of representatives of each program and upper administrators in local health care and industry. is committee could help facilitate the program develop- ment, offer potential healthcare and/or industry candidates for the program steering committees, and help programs to work together to maximize productivity. is will have the benefit of enhancing the overall stability. While these efforts may require significant effort, its foundation already is well developed. rough a combina- tion of creativity, industry and academic collaboration, and continued federal funding, the once-bleak future of nuclear science and engineering programs is looking brighter. David Medich is an associate professor of physics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and director of WPI's nuclear science and engineering program. Third in the Northeast, 70th in the nation Central Mass. could be nuclear training leader V I E W P O I N T E D I T O R I A L rankings all the time – "Best States to Retire", "Best Cities for Basketball Fans" – these growth numbers are legit. For its ranking, Magnify Mon- ey used U.S. Census data on population, housing, labor force, unemployment and business estab- lishments from 2010 to 2016 (the Census defines the Worcester metro area as Worcester County and Windham County, Conn.). e results largely mirror WBJ's own study in June of the progress of the Greater Worcester economy, where News Editor Grant Welker found for the last 15 years the region's economic growth lagged behind the averages for the state, the nation, the other major New England cities, and 10 national peer cities of similar population. Yes, coming in 70th out of 100 in Magnify Money's ranking is bad. Yet, looking strictly at major metro areas in the Northeast, Worcester metro came in third behind Boston and Wash- ington, D.C. Worcester beat out Providence, Springfield, Hartford, New Haven and even New York City, which was dinged for its modest per- centage population growth. Communities in the South and West had the best economic growth in the nation – the top three metro areas were Aus- tin, Texas; Provo, Utah; and Raleigh, N.C. – but BY DAVID MEDICH Special to the Worcester Business Journal David Medich The Worcester Business Journal welcomes letters to the editor and commentary submissions. Please send submissions to Brad Kane, editor, at bkane@wbjournal.com. WO R D F R O M T H E W E B when looking strictly through the lens of Worcester compared to its neighbors, the region appears to be trending in the right direction. In the latest attempt to show Worcester is turning around, the city and its major players have been trying to own its status as the second largest city in New England, a cultural hub with the potential to li up the whole region. No question that Boston is New England's world-class city, but when comparing to region's other large cities like Springfield, Providence, Hartford and Portland, Worcester has the popula- tion advantage. Developing another section of the city into vital, urban space would go a long way to helping this marketing effort trying to put Worcester on the map of hot places to live and work. Much like an optimist's perception of the Magnify Money rankings, this second-largest-city approach is a step in the right direction. It is diffi- cult to fight long-term population and economic trends of people moving to low-cost areas of the country with better climates, but at least Worcester can lead in New England. Worcester is fighting the same fight as other cities in the Northeast, and by achieving status as a regional leader, it can be well-positioned if the national trends shi back in this direction. Tweets of the week "The @WBJournal quoted Bob Young in 'Weed & the Workplace,' which highlights the dilemma between federal and state laws regarding cannabis use in Massachusetts." - Bowditch & Dewey (@BowditchDewey), Aug. 8, on a story about adults using marijuana off the job "Now more children in Central Mass. have access to pediatric ophthalmology services. We are sending specialist to @ umassmemorial." - Boston Children's (@BostonChildrens), Aug. 11, on a story about Boston Children's Hospital partnering with UMass Memorial Medical Center to bring ophthalmology services to Worcester Facebook feedback "Another hit piece by Worcester Business Journal. Go figure." - Steve Quist, Aug. 11, on a WBJ story about a story about the Worcester-area economy scoring below average nationally in population and business growth "Northborough Crossing is becoming a really vibrant shopping area. You can get just about anything." - TCG Network Services, Aug. 10, on a WBJ story about Pottery Barn and Homesense opening in Northborough Crossing W W E arlier this month, the website Magnify Money ranked Greater Worcester 70th out of the nation's 100 largest metro areas in business and popula- tion growth. While a cornucopia of rating websites put out questionable

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