Year
2005
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Energy actively supports the development of Russian nuclear nonproliferation expertise through education and training. This support includes assistance to Russian academic institutions in offering courses in safeguards and in nonproliferation policy. In particular, DOE has assisted the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI) in establishing a master’s degree program in nuclear material protection, control, and accounting (MPC&A), the first such program in the world. DOE is currently helping MEPhI develop a 5½ year engineering degree program in MPC&A, which is tailored to the needs of Russian nuclear facilities. Further, DOE is supporting nonproliferation curriculum at the high school level and the development of nonproliferation courses in Russian universities in Novouralsk, Tomsk, Seversk, Ozersk, Sarov, and Snezhinsk. DOE is beginning to also assist Tomsk Polytechnic University in developing its new engineering degree program in MPC&A. The Tomsk program is oriented toward serving students east of the Ural Mountains, while the MEPhI engineering degree program tends to serve students west of the Urals. DOE’s goal is to foster interest and knowledge in nonproliferation and support the establishment of self-sustaining degree programs that produce the next generation of safeguards experts. This paper describes progress on these education programs and our vision for the future.