Nuclear professionals from Africa and Asia took part in a two-week workshop (15-26May) hosted by the National Centre for Nuclear Energy, Sciences and Technology of Morocco (CNESTEN) and its MA-R1 reactor, according to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The workshop is organized by the IAEA as the participants will take advantage of its newest International Centre Based on Research Reactors (ICERR).
Third to be held in Africa, the IAEA Research Reactor School focuses on reactor physics, safe operation, and utilization.
Thirteen young professionals from Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malaysia, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Thailand, and Tanzania with degrees in nuclear engineering, physics, or related subjects participated in the intense training sessions at the CNESTEN.
CNESTEN was recognized as an ICERR earlier this year, allowing it to serve as a worldwide learning platform for scientists from all across the world, particularly Africa.
“The school was highly educative, informative, engaging, and valuable,” said Yahaya Musa, who works in medical physics at the Centre for Energy Research and Training in Zaria, Nigeria.
The MA-R1 reactor in Morocco, a typical TRIGA MARK II design with 2 MW thermal power, supports research and teaching while also offering neutron activation analysis services and radioisotope manufacturing for medicinal uses.
“CNESTEN is dedicated to fostering regional and institutional collaboration as an integral part of the ICERR network, said Director General of CNESTEN Hamid Marah.
The MA-R1 reactor joined the IAEA’s Internet Reactor Laboratory (IRL) program in 2018.