Year
2011
Abstract
The Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) has the goal of modernizing technology, improving training, and adding resources to international safeguards endeavors. A key goal is to train new safeguards professionals in the field to replace the aging safeguards workforce. NGSI has funded university outreaches to accomplish this goal. A key piece of this effort has been to create university courses in safeguards that impart the institutional knowledge of today?s safeguards experts. Los Alamos National Laboratory and The Pennsylvania State University Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering have teamed to create the course Nuclear Engineering 597G with the title “Nuclear Fuel Cycle Primer with Emphasis on Safety, Safeguards and Security” that was taught for the first time in Spring 2011 Semester. This course covers the basics of safeguards and the nuclear fuel cycle and attempts to include pieces of the safeguards by design philosophy of 3S (Safety, Safeguards and Security) in the lectures. The course was taught to approximately 30 students through the distance learning program of The Pennsylvania State University with Brian Boyer of Los Alamos, a former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safeguards Inspector and subject matter expert, giving the lectures that incorporate material gleaned from the corporate knowledge of the NGSI sponsored national laboratories and especially Los Alamos staff. The course includes virtual reality nuclear fuel cycle models to enhance the learning experience. The course has the students doing problem sets and projects germane to understanding both nuclear fuel cycle and safeguards concepts