More than 220 representatives from science and research, authorities and industry met this week in Cologne for this year’s EUROSAFE. Participants from more than 28 countries came together at the conference of the European Technical Safety Organisations Network (ETSON) to discuss current topics related to the safety of nuclear installations, radioactive waste management and radiation protection.
Programme: lectures, Science Slam, TSO Café
The programme consisted of a variety of specialist lectures, in-depth seminars and presentations on overall aspects of nuclear safety. Hans Wanner, Director General of the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) and current Chairman of the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA), reflected in the plenary session on the benefits of international peer reviews for improving nuclear safety.
As in previous years, four young scientists competed for the ETSON Award in a science slam. Matthias Dewald (GRS) convinced both the jury and the audience with his lecture on the use of accelerator mass spectrometry in the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and took first place. Simone Tillmann, also a staff member of GRS, took second place. In her short lecture, she presented modelling approaches for the safety assessment of facilities for radioactive waste management at the “Vector” site in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. The award, which is presented annually by the Junior Staff Programme, honours the work of young scientists developed within the framework of cooperation between members of the ETSON network. Places 1 and 2 are endowed with 3,000 and 2,000 euros respectively.
At the end of the first day, Maarten Steinbuch, professor at Eindhoven University of Technology, gave a fascinating lecture on the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence and robotics.
On the second day of the conference, high-level representatives from the European Commission, ETSON and WENRA and the nuclear industry met to discuss with the audience the benefits of international networks in the field of nuclear safety. In three sessions, the experts exchanged views on research and assessment of nuclear safety, disposal and decommissioning as well as radiation and environmental protection.
In addition to the variety of presentations and discussions, the EUROSAFE conference also offered the opportunity to get in contact with the ETSON member organisations. A total of 16 institutions – including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – introduced themselves this year with stands and presentations at the TSO Café.
Источник: eurosafe-forum, November 2019