Nuclear engineers must have a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering and it is recommended they participate in a cooperative education program. Their average salary is around $99,920. Nuclear engineers design nuclear equipment, monitor nuclear facility operations to ensure safety compliance, examine nuclear accidents to design preventative measures, write operational instructions, direct plant maintenance activities, perform experiments testing nuclear material usage, and take corrective actions in emergencies. Duke Energy generates over half its power from nuclear plants and Areva is a large French conglomerate focused on nuclear power employing over 47,000 people. J. Robert Oppenheimer led the Manhattan Project and is considered the father of the atomic bomb while Enrico Fermi developed the first nuclear reactor.