International Programs

Transcription

1 January June 2015 International Programs LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT The International Programs (IP) Section would like to welcome Dr. Tanju Sofu into his new leadership role in our Section as a result of Nuclear Engineering (NE) division reorganization. The IP Section enjoyed an opportunity to meet Dr. Sofu in early February and presented the program s activities. In June, the IP Section presented 2014 achievements to its U.S. Department of State sponsors, Michael Foughty and Demetrius Davis. Annually, the sponsor(s) visit the IP Section at Argonne for a Program Review. Because this year their visit overlapped with an IAEA-Argonne training course on the Theory and Practical Application of RESRAD BIOTA and Other Codes in the RESRAD Family for the Determination of Dose, Risk and Authorized Limits at Radioactively Contaminated Sites, Foughty and Davis were able to observe and meet the participants, lecturers, and staff. Davis also had an opportunity to tour the Argonne site and the Advanced Powertrain Research Facility (APRF). Toward the end of April, Dr. Sunaree Hamilton, IP Section Manager, travelled to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria to meet with IAEA staff to discuss future IAEA-Argonne training activities and IAEA Careers outreach activities. During the same time, Joe Braun, IAEA-Argonne course leader, attended an IAEA consultancy meeting on the Harmonization of International Training Offerings of the Interregional Project on Supporting Nuclear Power Infrastructure Capacity Building in Member States Introducing and Expanding Nuclear Power and had an opportunity to discuss a newly proposed IAEA-Argonne training course on Train the Trainer (TTT). The selected participants for the TTT course will originate from developing countries with emerging nuclear programs. They will learn not only the fundamentals of infrastructure development but the way in which they can teach this information to others when they return to their home countries. The IP Section will monitor the progress of this knowledge dissemination to be sure that the purpose of the course resulted in tangible outcomes. This six-week TTT course is scheduled for early INSIDE THIS ISSUE Training Courses.2-3 IAEA Careers...4 Fellowships...5 Nominations...5 Looking Forward...6 HIGHLIGHTS IAEA-Argonne courses in Houston take off. IMPACT map illustrates the program s results. IAEA internship program begins in September.

2 TRAINING COURSES The IP Section has welcomed 156 participants from developing countries around the world so far in Additionally, 88 lecturers participated in the program by teaching at the IAEA-Argonne training courses. The first course of the year, the Fellowship Training on Accidents in Radiotherapy and the Role of Audit with an Emphasis on Peer Review (Internal Auditing) in Medical Physics (March 23-27, 2015), was the first of three courses lead by Francisco Aguirre. The purpose of this course was to provide participants (25) with the necessary knowledge and skill to identify and manage risk in radiotherapy medical physics; handle the documentation, reporting and reviewing of accidents and near-incidents; develop procedures based on lessons learned; and perform regular internal peer review and auditing of their own radiotherapy medical physics practices. On April 13, the IP Section began its first two-week course of the year. This course, the Practical Training Course on Planning and Implementation of Nuclear Facility Decommissioning and Remediation of Radioactively Contaminated Sites, provided a global understanding of the key aspects that need to be considered in the planning and implementation of decommissioning and environmental remediation projects. The participants (31) were lead by Argonne course leaders Larry Boing and Karen Smith. HOUSTON, HOUSTON, DO YOU READ? In April, Dr. Hamilton visited MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX). Hamilton toured the facility with IAEA- Argonne course leader and senior medical physicist of MD Anderson, Francisco Aguirre (Argonne STA). Two IAEA- Argonne training courses are set to be held at MD Anderson this year. The first, Training Course on Selection, Purchase, Acceptance and Commissioning of Radiotherapy, took place in May 2015 and the second will take place in August During May 4-15, Argonne s Mary Picel led a course on Rapid A s s e s s m e n t M e t h o d s f o r Environmental Radioactivity. This course was developed to support the interest expressed by many ALMERA laboratories to develop their rapid assessment capabilities. It is part of the specific support provided to these l a b o r a t o r i e s, w h i c h i n c l u d e s methodological developments, proficiency tests and targeted training. During this course, the 22 participants were divided into two groups for lab exercises onsite with Jorge Alvarado of the Environmental Science Division (EVS). The course was designed to enable the participants to learn about state-of-the art methods, which they will apply in their laboratories in situations where a rapid assessment of radionuclides in the environment is required. The IAEA wrote a story about this course, which can be found online Shortly after this course ended, an IAEA-Argonne course was held offsite for the first time. The Regional Training Course on Selection, Purchase, Acceptance and Commissioning of Radiotherapy took place May at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. The course was led by Francisco Aguirre and was composed of 31 participants and 21 lecturers. The IP Section worked closely with staff members at MD Anderson to ensure a successful course. The main objective of the course was to provide participants with knowledge of selection, acceptance, commissioning and maintenance of radiotherapy dosimetry equipment and radiotherapy treatment units, such as linear accelerators and brachytherapy equipment.

3 NEW STAFF MEMBER Interested in learning about the impact of our programs? Visit our website to see, hear, and read about it! TRAINING COURSES During June 1-12, the International Seminar on the Essential Elements of Nuclear Security took place at Argonne and was led by Diana Naples of the Intelligence Analysis Division and Chuck Roche. This was one of our larger courses with 35 participants. The purpose of the course was to provide the participants with an in-depth understanding of the essential elements of nuclear security as described in the IAEA Nuclear Security Fundamentals publication Objective and Essential Elements of a State' Nuclear Security Regime (IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 20, Vienna, 2013). The IP Section s smallest course so far this year took place June 22-July 2 with a total of 12 participants. The training course on The Theory and Practical Application of RESRAD BIOTA and Other Codes in the RESRAD Family for the Determination of Dose, Risk, and Authorized Limits at Radioactively Contaminated Sites provided practical training in the applicability and use of dose and risk models in the RESRAD Family of Codes for the assessment of contaminated sites. Unique to this course, with the help of lecturer serenaded with a song of the periodic table. Dr. W. Alexander Williams, the participants were I n J u n e , t h e IP Section welcomed a new face. Michael Lazowski-Leja, a s t u d e n t o f D o m i n i c a n University, is contributing to our team greatly through his new Information Technology (IT) co-op position. Lazowski-Leja works side by side with our Database Administration Assistant, Kun Kaewken, as well as the IAEA- Argonne course participants, lecturers, and staff. Although Lazowksi-Leja will be returning to school full-time in the fall, he will remain a member of our team. To view the video, please visit our Facebook page 3

4 THE HAGUE In April, IP Section member Steve Amundson attended a meeting in The Hague, Netherlands to exchange ideas and information between UN agencies and donors of the Associate Expert/JPO/APO P r o g r a m m e s o n t h e guidelines governing the Programme. The meeting also provided an opportunity to f o l l o w u p o n t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f t h e recommendations adopted in prior meetings. IAEA CAREERS In early 2015, the IAEA launched its new Human Resources (HR) application system. By the end of July, a total of 62 vacancies were distributed. Mid-year, the IP Section launched a new program one year IAEA internships sponsored by the Section for U.S. citizens. To bring this to fruition, IP Program Manager, Dr. Hamilton, and IP Section members, Steve Amundson, Christine Oikle, and Stephanie Williamson worked diligently. From the 30 internship options that were received from the IAEA, the IP Section, with the approval of the State Department, selected five to fund. These included two in the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, two in the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, and one in the Office of Public Information and Communication. The Section advertised all of these positions in March/April and so far three have been recruited and are scheduled to start in September/October. The selected candidates will receive round trip airfare to and from Vienna, an installation grant, a monthly stipend and free medical insurance. Aside from the internship opportunities, the Section also recruited and funded five different Junior Professional Officer positions at the IAEA. The desired backgrounds included nuclear safety, general law, nuclear communications, soil science and energy data analysis. The diversity of educational fields proved to be a challenge for recruitment, but the IP Section has found qualified candidates for each position and the first candidate will be starting in September As part of our efforts to gain interest in these internships and Junior Professional Officer positions, the Section participated in three different virtual career fairs targeting major collegiate conferences. In February, the Section participated in the State of Indiana Collegiate Talent Search Virtual Career Fair, and in April, the SEC & ACC and the Big Ten Plus Virtual Career Fairs. Students from over 50 different universities participated in these three events, which proved to be a cost effective way to connect with geographically diverse university locations. The Section has also advertised three Cost Free Expert positions in resource mobilization/partnership planning, IT security and nuclear engineering at the IAEA and are presently at various stages of recruitment. The Section has exhibited at six different professional events in the first half of 2015, including the American Physical Society s Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX; the Waste Management Symposium in Phoenix, AZ; the American Nuclear Society Student Conference at Texas A&M University; the Nuclear Energy Assembly meeting in Washington, D.C.; and the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Midwest Career Fair in Chicago, IL. The Section looks forward to its continued outreach activities and foresees a productive second half of

5 FELLOWSHIPS During the first half of 2015, the IP Section s IAEA Fellowship program has hosted 158 individuals as fellows (78) and scientific visitors (80). With the addition of 44 fellows currently in the approval process, there are a total of 202 fellows from 34 countries including: Armenia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala, Indonesia, Hungary, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lithuania, Mauritius, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Slovenia, Slovakia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Vietnam. The trainings for these fellowships and scientific visits cover a variety of fields, such as: general atomic energy development, fuel cycle and waste management, nuclear engineering and technology, application of isotopes and radiation in food and agriculture, radiation medicine and health, application of isotopes and radiation in biology and environmental studies, isotope hydrology and applications of isotopes and radiation in industry, and nuclear and radiation safety and nuclear security. Host institutions that have provided these trainings included Argonne National Laboratory, Arkansas Nuclear One, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, Massachusetts General Hospital, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Texas A&M University, The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Fellowships ranged from one week to 10 months in duration. As of end of July, there are six fellows currently participating in fellowships or scientific visits, 13 awaiting a start date later this year, 17 in the process of being placed at various U.S. host locations, and eight applications pending U.S. Government clearance. NOMINATIONS The IP Section processes the clearances of all U.S. citizens nominated to participate in IAEA Non-Safeguards meetings, workshops, and conferences all over the world. U.S. experts include those from federal agencies (including several from Argonne) and from private sectors. The subject areas include Nuclear Security, Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Safety, and Nuclear Sciences and Applications. Additionally, the IAEA s Department of Technical Cooperation requests the release of U.S. experts for numerous worldwide expert missions. In February 2015, the U.S. contact transitioned from IP Section s Natalie Wren to DeeDee Rudisel. Each consecutive year has seen an increase in the number of IAEA meetings, and we expect to process in excess of 900 meetings by the end of the year. In June, 70 USG employees that were processed by our office participated in the IAEA s International Conference on Computer Security in a Nuclear World. In June, the Section welcomed a visit from Sarah Boyke, U.S. Mission liaison to the IAEA in Vienna. It was a pleasure to meet Boyke face to face after such frequent correspondence over the years regarding the program. As the number of meetings and nominees continues to grow, the IP Section is working closely with the U.S. Department of State to streamline the procedure. 5

6 IT SOLUTIONS A front-end framework, B o o t s t r a p, h a s b e e n implemented on all web applications to improve the look and response time for most screen sizes. It will be used for all new projects. The existing Web applications are being evaluated for a major coding upgrade to tighten security. LOOKING FORWARD The IP Section is looking forward to remaining 11 (of 17) IAEA- Argonne training courses scheduled through Two of these will take place offsite; one at MD Anderson Cancer Center and the other at the IAEA Environmental Laboratories in Monaco. The IP Section is also look forward to its other programs. As the number of U.S. attendees at IAEA meetings continues to expand, the Nominations Program will continue to explore methods of efficiency in regards to the nomination process. With the internship program underway, the IAEA Careers Program will continue to advertise and recruit U.S. citizens to apply for positions at the Agency. As the Fellowship Program continues through the year, the IP Section will reach out to gather impact stories of past fellows. Towards year-end, all programs of the section will be responsible for updating their procedural manuals as well as producing annual reports and conducting surveys. Since 1976, the International Programs Section at Argonne has served as the U.S. Support Program to the IAEA. The IAEA promotes the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear technologies. INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS SECTION Nuclear Engineering Division Argonne National Laboratory 9700 S. Cass Avenue Lemont, IL Training Courses [email protected] Fellowships [email protected] Careers [email protected] Nominations [email protected]