RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN NUCLEAR TRAINING AND EDUCATION – IN A NON NUCLEAR POWER COUNTRY

Due to the Austrian legislation it was never easy to train and educate people in Austria about nuclear. The Institute of Atomic and Subatomic Physics(ATI) in Vienna has taken, together with the Austrian Nuclear Society(ÖKTG) several steps to bring the subject of nuclear topics closer to the public. This was especially important as the TRIGA reactor at the institute was in the phase of negotiations for a new core, just during the crisis caused by the Fukushima accident. Without the good education program of the institute, that enabled an information centre of students and professionals for the public and media during the Fukushima crisis, the reactor would now be shut down. This paper will show the last education efforts at the institute, together with the ÖKTG: It will be shown how information and training at secondary education level is essential for the civil society. School classes have different possibilities of requiring nuclear training at the ATI Vienna: They can either choose a simple visit to the institute and reactor, a presentation in class by a member of the Young Generation, or full-day training at the reactor (which includes a start of the reactor for each student). Further a project was started in 2011 to train high school teachers at the institute for a longer period so that their knowledge stays up to the current research level and they can give their students up to date and interesting lectures. The last point will be a showcase of public information. A book aimed for a general audience was written just after the Fukushima accident, with the goal to inform the broad public about all relevant nuclear topics. This book was recently translated into English and shall be available for all training and education purposes at undergraduate levels. Additionally in mid 2012 a project was started together with a private company and EHRO-N investigating how the Fukushima nuclear accident affected enrolment numbers at a University level. A paper with the first results of this study is currently on its way to publication and a second one focusing on the European status in education after Fukushima is under work, and should provide results in July 2013.

RADDE Eileen;  BOECK H.;  SALLETMAIER Markus;  BANNON Jeffrey;  LACAL MOLINA Maria;  KHAN Rustam; 

2013-12-11

European Nuclear Society (ENS)

JRC81447

978-92-95064-19-5,   

http://www.euronuclear.org/events/nestet/nestet2013/transactions.htm,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC81447,