Year
2007
Abstract
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is developing a unique education program from a systematic and multidisciplinary perspective that will demonstrate how physical protection and material control and accounting at an operations facility are integrated. Because ORNL is drawing from multiple perspectives, experts in both the social and engineering sciences contribute to an innovative learning environment. One of the critical techniques in adult education involves providing hands-on experience for situations in which participants require practice, such as conducting measurements or communicating with individuals from other cultures. Technology now makes it possible for organizations with extensive training requirements to distribute multiple user simulations in the training environment to people who are on cross-functional teams and geographically dispersed. Simulations provide the learner with the opportunity to solve problems, make judgments, analyze information, make choices, form conclusions, and report information that is accurate and complete. Because of the need to enhance security measures, many countries have signed the Additional Protocol to comprehensive safeguards agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)[1] These protocols mean more information collection and analysis, increased access to additional facilities, involvement of individuals from multiple cultures, new technologies, and additional reporting requirements. This supplemental information results in a gap between the traditional approach to safeguards and the integrated approach. To fill the gap, performancebased education must provide the next generation of leadership with the ability to enhance skills in the area of planning, conducting, reconciling, and reporting information during inventory taking and verification. This includes not only technical skills but also communication, cultural diversity, observation, technical writing, team building, leadership, and other critical humaninteraction skills.