Year
2018
Abstract
For the past two years the Department of Nuclear Reactors at the Czech Technical University (CTU) in Prague, Czech Republic has hosted a reactor practicum program for policy students from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) at Monterey, California. The two-week program held during MIIS’ J-Term is mainly conducted at the CTU’s VR-1 Research Reactor in Prague. Students also are provided with side trips to other nuclear facilities in the Czech Republic and to the IAEA in Vienna. Development of the program has been a new experience for CTU who had previously provided prior programs only for groups of engineers and physicists. The current program was developed and adjusted to provide a challenging and rewarding experience for MIIS Master’s degree students in nonproliferation and terrorism studies. A combination of theory and hands on experimentation has been worked out that the students find enhances their understanding of about reactors and nuclear security and safeguards. The hands on experiments in nuclear activation, neutron measurement and reactor theory are challenging, but provided at a level that allows the students to complete the assigned tasks and acquire new skills and knowledge. The program has proven to be very popular with MIIS students. The paper and presentation will describe the program, its development, and impact on the students.