Introduction to Nuclear Engineering and Ionizing Radiation
Nuclear science taught as both physics and engineering practice, from MIT OpenCourseWare. The course covers basic nuclear models, radioactivity, nuclear reactions, and kinematics, then moves into how ionizing radiation interacts with matter, with emphasis on radiation detection instruments, shielding design, and the biological effects of exposure on human health. Later sections apply this foundation to energy systems built on fission and fusion reactions, plus industrial and medical uses of nuclear science such as imaging and treatment technologies. Materials follow MIT's OpenCourseWare format: lecture notes, problem sets, and readings drawn from an actual MIT course, free to access under a Creative Commons license. It suits students who want the technical grounding behind nuclear power, radiation safety, or medical physics rather than a general-audience survey of nuclear topics.