---
title: Nuclear Energy Pioneer Inducted Into IHOF
date: 2021-12-10T05:30:00-05:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/nuclear-energy-pioneer-inducted-into-ihof"
section: Articles
---
# Nuclear Energy Pioneer Inducted Into IHOF

*December 10, 2021* — by [A. James Clark School of Engineering Staff](/author/a-james-clark-school-of-engineering-staff)


> José Reyes Helped Launch First Small Modular Reactor

*Kim Building 11042019 EH 1746 1920x1080 — Nuclear energy pioneer José Reyes M.S. '84, Ph.D. '86 was honored last week in a ceremony to induct him into the University of Maryland Hall of Fame.*

A University of Maryland alum who has made pioneering advances in nuclear power was inducted into the University of Maryland’s [Innovation Hall of Fame](https://eng.umd.edu/ihof) (IHOF) last week.

José Reyes M.S. '84, Ph.D. '86, co-founder and chief technology officer of NuScale Power received the annual honor for his work in co-designing the first small modular reactor (SMR) to garner Nuclear Regulatory Commission design approval.

UMD President Darryll J. Pines presented Reyes with a medallion, and Maryland Engineering’s dean, Samuel Graham, Jr., delivered remarks at the Dec. 2 ceremony held before an in-person and virtual audience.

An overview of IHOF’s history was provided by Scott Berman, whose father—UMD engineering alum Stanford W. Berman ’50—first proposed the idea, and whose family has supported it through an endowment. Nathan Bluzer, chair of the selection committee and the 1995 IHOF inductee for pioneering work in the development of advanced microelectronic devices, then introduced Reyes.



*José Reyes M.S. '84, Ph.D. '86*




**Topics:** [People](https://today.umd.edu/tags/people)



**Units:** [A. James Clark School of Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/james-clark-school-engineering)