Columbia, MO – A nuclear reactor at the University of Missouri, used for science and medical research, is getting a $20 million, 47,000 square-foot upgrade. The expansion of the MU Research Reactor (MURR) is expected to be completed in 2024.
The current reactor is the most powerful university research reactor in the U.S. and the only one that will operates year round, 24 hours a day, six and a half days a week, for 52 weeks in a year.
MURR's expansion will improve the facility's research and medical isotope production space, offering more opportunity for treatment discoveries and developing those radiopharmaceuticals, according to Matt Sanford, MURR executive director.
Sanford says that what they're doing with medical isotopes and the fight against cancer is so important, but there are so many other practical technologies depending on research reactors.
"We really have an important job here from researching and producing nuclear medicine," said Sanford, "But we do so many other things to improve life in our work with epidemiology, archeometry, material science."
"The reactor is doing great work for all of nuclear science," said Sanford.