On climate change, Rothrock’s stance as a staunch supporter of nuclear
alternatives to fossil fuels has likewise put him in the limelight. In
2012, he served as co- executive producer of the film “Pandora’s
Promise,” which promotes the safe, clean potential of nuclear energy as
a power supply of zero-carbon electricity and heat.
Along with his Nuclear Threat Initiative involvement, Rothrock works
with legislators, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department
of Energy and other Washington, D.C., individuals and groups to
encourage a renewed look at nuclear energy power sources. He’s
particularly excited about the potential of creating energy through
nuclear fusion, as opposed to traditional nuclear fission. With nuclear
fission—the type of reaction produced in nuclear power plants—atoms are
split in two to produce energy. Fusion involves the opposite approach:
Energy is created when two light atoms are fused together into a heavier
atom.
With the latter method, science shows that radioactivity is mostly
avoided, and a nuclear power plant meltdown is impossible. They
emphasize that the short-lived waste produced by fusion would alleviate
the waste-disposal issue associated with fission. And they point out
that the fuels needed for fusion—deuterium and tritium— are both
abundant in nature, thus available at a fraction of the price of fossil
fuels.
While Rothrock sees value in alternative energy sources like wind and
solar, he is concerned by the amount of planetary surface area these
sources require. Nuclear energy is very dense, requiring far less
surface area to produce. “The notion of generating abundant power
density in a small space could change the world,” he said. It’s an idea
that has intrigued scientists, engineers and even filmmakers for
decades: Think of the fusion reactor powering the “Back to the Future”
DeLorean.
Proof of Rothrock’s conviction is in the time and energy he has spent
serving on the board and raising funds for TAE Technologies (formerly
Tri Alpha Energy), which has set its sights on demonstrating
fusion-reactor technology within the next five years and
commercialization shortly thereafter.
Like he’s done with so many other world-changing phenomena, soothsayer
Rothrock can foresee the promise of a planet powered by nuclear fusion.
“Stay tuned,” he said. “It’s going to be a big one.”
As two of Texas A&M University’s most stalwart supporters, Meredith and
Ray Rothrock ’77 have made a practice of giving today to ensure a bright
future for the university tomorrow. While Ray graduated with a nuclear
engineering degree, the couple’s gifts have spanned far beyond the
College of Engineering to support a vast array of facilities, programs,
faculty and students.
In 2000, a $500,000 gift by the Rothrocks to the Texas A&M Foundation
(and matched by the Bright Chair Program) established a chair for the
Department of Performance Studies’ music program. Other gifts in support
of the College of Liberal Arts include an unrestricted endowment for
instruction and research programs, as well as a faculty research
fellowship endowment for recently tenured associate professors, the
Rothrock Fellows.
While serving as a Texas A&M Foundation trustee, Rothrock gave the lead
gift toward the Kay ’02 and Jerry ’72 Cox Foundation Excellence Award to
support Texas A&M students from underrepresented groups. The Rothrocks
also provided significant gifts to support the Memorial Student Center
renovation and the construction of both the Liberal Arts and Humanities
Building and the Jon L. Hagler Center.
In 2016, Rothrock created the Ray Rothrock Lecture Series, which brings
in prominent speakers from the nuclear industry. He and Meredith also
support the Memorial Student Center’s Stark Northeast Tour, which
enables students to visit top law and MBA programs in the Northeast.
Along with financial gifts, Rothrock unselfishly lends his time and
expertise to bolster both the education of students and the institutions
that support them. He serves as vice chairman of the board of directors
of The University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Company
(UTIMCO), and he has also served on The Association of Former Students’
board.
Rothrock was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M in 2016—a title
he also holds in the MIT Nuclear Science and Engineering Department and
with Tau Beta Pi.