Education

THE Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have signed an agreement for training on nuclear courses.

According to the agreement, ABU’s Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT) will participate in the Internet Reactor Laboratory (IRL) project on the use of research reactor for nuclear courses at the university level.

Malam Auwalu Umar, the Director, Public Affairs Directorate, ABU Zaria, made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday in Zaria.

Umar said the agreement was signed on Sept. 26 during the ongoing 66th Annual Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference in Vienna, Austria.

He said that the Vice-Chancellor of ABU, Prof. Kabiru Bala, signed the agreement on behalf of the Centre and Nigeria, while the Deputy Director-General, Nuclear Energy, IAEA, Mr Mikhail Chudakov, stood in for the IAEA.

“IAEA’s Internet Reactor Laboratory Project is a cost-effective way to educate groups of students in reactor physics, and will assist Nigeria in development of the human capital needed for nuclear science and technology programmes.

“The project was facilitated by the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), and it presents a unique opportunity for the research and teaching staff as well as cooperating universities to participate in human capacity building in the field of nuclear reactor physics and engineering,” he said.

According to Umar, IAEA’s Internet Reactor Laboratory (IRL) enables live immersion into reactor technology and operation to countries that otherwise have no installed facilities, but have groups of students ready to undertake experimental reactor physics courses.

He expained that IRL works by giving access to reactor experiments in a remote location via an internet link using hardware and software installed in a research reactor in the host state.

He said signals were sent over the internet to the guest institution, where a real-time display of the reactor’s control room was visible to students.

“Then, using video conference equipment, students at the guest institution can intereact with operators in the reactor control room to conduct experiements,” Umar said.

He explained that under the agreement, ABU’s Centre for Energy Research and Training shall participate as a guest institution in the project in order to develop and strengthen nuclear education capacities in Nigeria and African sub-region. (NAN)

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