Fr om 17 to 19 March MEPhI jointly with the IAEA has organized a scientific and technical seminar, wh ere participants discussed the role of university laboratories with the use of computer systems in nuclear engineering educational programs at universities.
The seminar was attended by representatives of the IAEA, the State Corporation “Rosatom”, Institute of Nuclear Sciences of the Ankara University (Turkey), as well as representatives of a number of leading Russian and Belarusian universities.
Such joint thematic conferences have become a good tradition. The importance and necessity of this workshop reflects the common aspiration of the University to more actively use and integrate modern capabilities and achievements in the field of computer modeling and information technologies in the practice of development of nuclear educational programs.
Prior to presentations a moderator of the seminar – Deputy Head of the MEPhI Department “Automatics” S.A. Korolev said that today the University has accessible information resources in the field of nuclear technology, developed computer technologies, experience in creation of process models in nuclear facilities and technological equipment of nuclear power plants, and proposed to actively and purposefully use it for the development of nuclear engineering educational programs. In particular, experience of MEPhI on the creation and use of the so-called “virtual laboratories” in the educational process can serve as an example of development of training workshops. Traditional laboratory equipment for the implementation of training workshops and student research works in the field of nuclear technology is usually unique, expensive, and in some cases requires special security measures. It limits the possibility of its extensive use in educational programs at universities. Creation of “virtual laboratories” – computer systems based on modern computer models of real equipment and facilities – gives an effective solution to this problem.
In addition to virtual laboratories, the University develops and implements specialized teaching and research laboratories on the basis of computer simulators of NPP in educational programs. These laboratories are used not only in the MEPhI, but also are supplied to a number of foreign universities by the University with the assistance of the IAEA.
S.A. Korolev gave examples of cooperation between MEPhI and the IAEA in the field of educational and learning technologies. In 2013 the Agency gave MEPhI a training cyberplatform CLP4NET, which is widely used today in the organization and support of the educational process. This platform will allow the University to effectively implement network forms of education, educational programs in cooperation with foreign universities, and distributed educational environment of universities.
The IAEA specialist, MEPhI graduate M.E. Gladyshev stressed that it was necessary to use computer simulators of nuclear power stations for the preparation of good professionals. Such simulators, he said, were especially necessary for the personnel training in the countries being at the beginning of nuclear power development. He expressed confidence that the prospect of development of information NPP models and the use of simulators had a great future.
Noting basic characteristics of existing simulators and trends of its creation, M.E. Gladyshev identified problems that need to be solved before the implementation of training simulators in the educational process.
The Dean of the Physico-Technical Faculty of the MEPhI G.V. Tikhomirov drew attention to the fact that MEPhI has already have successful experience in the use of international databases generated by such authoritative international organizations as the IAEA and the Nuclear Energy Agency at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It is an informational base JANIS, PRIS, INIS and other information resources. “We not only conduct training with the use of these databases, and give tasks for students, but also all students obligatorily use these resources during execution of their research work”, said G.V. Tikhomirov.
The Dean of the MEPhI Faculty “Management and Economics of High Technologies” A.V. Putilov express himself in favour of a development of the nuclear business education by analogy with the educational system in the field of business administration. He noted that while the IAEA is at the stage of studying the international experience in this area, MEPhI will start training programs of “nuclear” MBA as a part of a new project to create a business school presumably in September of this year.
An idea of creating a special standard of nuclear education, in particular in the construction of nuclear infrastructure, was actively supported by the Deputy Engineering Director of a branch center of the capital construction of the SC “Rosatom” V.I. Malakhov. He told about the fact that currently OCKS Rosatom was developing the methodology for the preparation of personnel to work in international project teams. “Stock of foreign orders of Rosatom will soon exceed the volume of investments carried out in the construction of nuclear power plants in Russia. We have estimated that in the next 20 years implementation of our portfolio will require training of about 50,000 specialists in various building trades: from specialists in project management to experts in commissioning and installation of nuclear island”, – said Vladimir Malakhov. In this regard, there is a topical issue of standardization of nuclear education and personnel training in the field of construction of nuclear facilities, which shall take into account IAEA requirements and be widely used in all countries, which develop nuclear industry. According to him, OCKS Rosatom has already begun to develop such a methodology and is willing to involve experts from other areas to work together in this direction.
The workshop was continued by interesting and informative reports, made by experts from the MEPhI, Experimental Scientific-Research and Methodology Center “Simulation Systems”, Belarusian National Technical University, Lomonosov Moscow State University, which were devoted to the experience in development and implementation of computer technologies and systems to improve nuclear education and personnel training for nuclear power stations.
Within three days of the seminar participants got acquainted with computer systems developed and used in the educational process of the MEPhI Departments “Automatics” and “Theoretical and experimental physics of nuclear reactors”, watched modern virtual laboratories and laboratory courses on the basis of simulators modeling systems, attended training laboratories of these Departments.
The seminar ended with a round table on “Problems, challenges, perspectives and cooperation in the development of computer systems in nuclear engineering educational programs at universities”, which identified ways to further development of educational computer technologies and systems, and also discussed issues of cooperation between Russian and foreign universities involved in the training of specialists in nuclear engineering with the IAEA assistance.
