The Case for a US Degree in Fusion Engineering

As the world becomes energy-starved and increasingly hot from climate change, a potential energy solution is emerging, fusion energy. Fusion has the potential to fundamentally alter the shape of human civilization and generate trillions of dollars in economic impact. More than 60 startups are attempting to solve this incredibly ambitious scientific and engineering challenge. Collectively, they have raised nearly $20 billion in private capital and are racing, alongside increasingly well-funded government programs, to be the first to achieve net power. They are assisted by advances in superconductivity, which are enabling the construction of fusion reactor designs that were previously unimaginable. Most of these organizations will fail because of the extreme challenges presented by fusion. Regardless, the quest for fusion has and will create dozens of new technologies that can spill over into other industries, including the military, consumer, medical, and other markets. Most people have not yet realized that we are witnessing the birth of a new industry—with its own workforce, supply chain, and technical requirements. Now is the right time for academia and government to determine how to train this workforce. America needs a new degree in fusion engineering. This book offers a vision for this degree: a plan for new bachelor’s and master’s degrees uniquely suited for the needs of this new industry.