KPI Announced Admission of Students for Physical Protection, Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials within Nuclear Energy Specialty

This was told by Nataliia Klos, representative of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine, during the XV Ukrainian Conference on Physical Protection, Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials.

In order to comply with the Provision on the State System of Training, Retraining and Skill Improvement of Experts on Physical Protection, Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 263 dated 21 March 2012, up to 2014, experts on physical protection, accounting and control of nuclear materials were trained in the Sevastopol National University of Nuclear Energy and Industry.  

However, due to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in the Crimea, it became impossible to train such experts for Ukraine. At the same time, the need of Ukraine for training, retraining and skill improvement of experts on physical protection, accounting and control of nuclear materials in increasing day by day. The reason for this is the constant development of nuclear engineering and nuclear industrial complex of Ukraine, as well as the increase of new threats to national nuclear installations and materials, radioactive waste and other radiation sources.

Nataliia Klos, representative of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine

According to Ms. Nataliia, the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute is now prepared for the introduction of a new specialty “Physical Protection, Accounting and control of Nuclear Materials” for both on-campus and off-campus studies. At first, the specialty will be open within the educational level of the master’s degree program, and over time, the similar specialty will also be available for the bachelor’s educational level.

Everyone will be able to apply for this specialty, but the priority for on-campus studies will be given to the KPI graduates. Students, who have received a bachelor ’s degree in technical specialties, will pass to entry exams: foreign languages and nuclear energy. Graduates of the humanitarian specialties will additionally pass the third exam in the area.

Reception of documents for the master’s degree will start in July 2019 and entrance exams will take place in August. Education of experts on physical protection will start in autumn 2019 and will be carried out at the Heat and Power Engineering Department.

According to Nataliia Klos, data of the International Nuclear Security Education Network of the IAEA is used in the development of the educational framework and for training of experts. According to requirements of Ukrainian legislation, the specialty obtained the name “Physical Protection, Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials”, but it includes the issues of nuclear forensics, information and cyber security, which reflects the world tendency and covers nuclear security.

“Use of INSEN data allows us to familiarize with the best world experience in the area. At the same time, educational materials are being prepared with the support of experts of the George Kuzmycs Training Center for Physical Protection, Control and Accounting of Nuclear Materials and Sandia National Laboratory (USA), which are actively working and continuing to help KPI professors to obtain professors to receive knowledge in this area that are specific for Ukraine”, representative of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine.

Training of teachers and professors is ongoing: teachers pass skill improvement courses in both the George Kuzmycs Training Center and those arranged in the IAEA. In 2017, the US Department of Energy held a summer school for KPI teachers, within which teachers visited the Texas Technical University and Sandia National Laboratory.

At present, the Ukrainian approach is focused on acquiring professional practical skills. Actually, this played a major role in the choice of university, where it is the most reasonable to open the specialty “Physical Protection, Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials”, because laboratory and practical training of students will be carried out at the George Kuzmycs Training Center in Kyiv.

“Establishing of a new specialty is a difficult and costly process, which requires significant material and human resources, and belief in success. We managed to find likeminded persons and get support from KPI management on the success of this area. Over the past two years, we have been constantly discussing the need for restoring higher education in Ukraine in the area on physical protection, accounting and control of nuclear materials. Today, as never before, we are close to achieving this goal”, Nataliia Klos summed up.

Please contact natalia.klos@mev.gov.ua to learn more details on the admission of students on the specialty “Physical Protection, Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials”.

Uatom.org Editorial Board