NNSA Material Control and Accountability Academy
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Material Control and Accountability (MC&A) Program deters and detects theft and diversion of special nuclear materials. The NNSA MC&A Academy develops the next generation of material control and accountability professionals by providing specialized training and development through professional coursework and internship experience.
(Photo by Carlos Jones | Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
The NNSA MC&A Academy expands the knowledge, technical base, and experiences of individuals interested in nuclear security and working with a nuclear material control and accountability program or who will join one as a new staff member.
There are three distinct tracks: College Summer Internship, Early-Career Academy, and Mid-Career Academy.
College Summer Internship
The Academy offers an internship for college-level students to learn about careers in nuclear material control and accountability. Selected students participate in summer-long, substantive, technical internships at Department of Energy laboratories, plants, and/or sites. This opportunity includes more than two weeks of immersive and interactive training focused on material control and accountability in nuclear security and its relationship to the multifaceted programs and operations of NNSA.
Interns begin the summer at their host sites to complete onboarding and badging and meet their site team. After a brief initial orientation, the intern cohort meets for a 2.5-week group training event, which is hosted at different sites annually.
The first week of this event is designated for learning the basics of nuclear material control and accountability—such as nuclear fundamentals, nuclear security principles, and accounting—from top instructors and experts in the field. The second week covers hands-on technical training, as well as tours of nuclear facilities at the host site, and is designed to expose participants to real aspects of the nuclear security industry. During the last half week, interns apply their newly gained knowledge to additional courses, case studies, scenarios, and simulations designed to refine their skills before heading back to their site-based internships.
Participants are given opportunities to learn from their mentors and apply the knowledge gained during the NNSA MC&A Academy. Based on their host site’s mission, each intern completes a site-specific, summer-long project involving real industry challenges.
Early-Career Academy
For participants new to nuclear material control and accountability (with one to five years of experience), the Early-Career Academy provides a strong foundation in nuclear security and MC&A knowledge. It exposes them to a variety of MC&A performance approaches from across the NNSA complex.
Mid-Career Academy
The Mid-Career Academy hones the expertise of individuals with six or more years of nuclear material control and accountability experience, focusing on the continued development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills applied to real-world nuclear security and MC&A challenges.