Overview, Operational Results, & Opportunities Of The Graduate Nuclear Security Program At The Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

To support a global interest in nuclear fuel cycle activities, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) offers technical guidance documents (e.g., Nuclear Security Series Document No. 12—Education Programme in Nuclear Security) and an international community of practice. These endeavors provide a comprehensive approach—and strong education foundation—for incorporating nuclear security knowledge, skills, and abilities into nuclear energy workforces across the globe. Yet, each nation is responsible for developing programs that build on this foundation to meet their specific educational systems.One response is the graduate program in nuclear security currently offered at the National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" (KPI) within the “Nuclear Energy” specialty of KPI’s Nuclear Power Plants and Engineering Thermal Physics Department. The result of a partnership between the Ministry of Energy Ministry of Energy and the U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Office of International Nuclear Security (NNSA/INS), this graduate program provides a comprehensive nuclear security education to both traditional and non-traditional students across Ukrainian stakeholders. In addition to the curriculum collaboratively developed between KPI professors and experts from Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia), this nuclear security program leveraged additional resource and expertise support from the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the IAEA. Officially launched in the Fall of 2019, the KPI graduate program in nuclear security leverages a top-of-the-line curriculum and key hands-on experience capabilities (e.g., the George Kuzmich Training Center) to provide an educational capability to meet national and regional nuclear security needs.After summarizing the collaboration between KPI and NNSA/INS to develop the program’s curriculum, structure, and objectives, this paper will describe the various elements supporting this nuclear security education capability. Next, the events—and successes—of its first year of implementation will be described, including accommodations made to meet program objectives during COVID-19 safety protocols. Lastly, the paper will provide several lessons learned from its operational experience to inform other nations embarking on developing nuclear security education programs, and a list of action items to support the KPI program’s continued development.Sandia2021-1734A. SNL is managed and operated by NTESS under DOE NNSA contract DE-NA0003525