During the first two weeks of July, NSSPI hosted two students,
Mr. Manit Shah and Mr. Vijay Mehta, from the M. Tech. program in
Nuclear Energy at the Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU),
along with Profesor Shriram Paranjape, Chair of the Nuclear Energy
department at PDPU. The objective of their visit was to
receive hands-on laboratory experience in measurement techniques to
support the security of nuclear materials.
During their visit to NSSPI, the PDPU delegation attended
lectures and participated in lab experiences on various nuclear
security topics led by NSSPI instructors. Their experience
was further enhanced through tours of several facilities on the
TAMU campus, including, among others, the Nuclear Science Center of
the Texas Engineering Experiment Station, the Fuel Cycle Laboratory
in the TAMU Department of Nuclear Engineering, and the Elemental
Analysis Laboratory of the TAMU Center for Chemical
Characterization, where they attended a demonstration of the
inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. They also
enjoyed an introduction to American culture through downtime at the
Independence Day celebration hosted by the George H. W. Bush
Library and a Texas Collegiate League baseball game. The visit was
arranged by NSSPI Associate Director for International Programs Dr.
Paul Nelson and NSSPI staff member Claudio Gariazzo served as the
coordinating instructor for the hands-on lab training.
PDPU is located in Gandhinagar, the capital of the Indian State
of Gujarat. According to press reports, a US reactor vendor
has agreed in principle with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India
Limited to construct six 1000 Megawatt-electric nuclear power
plants at a site in the Bhavnagar District of Gujarat.
After their time at TAMU, the PDPU delegation continued on to
Orlando, Florida, where they participated in the annual meeting of
the Institute for Nuclear Materials Management.
Mr. Vijay Mehta at
the control panel of the AGN reactor during the approach to
criticality, under the supervision of Mr. Zak Kulage (TAMU, Reactor
Operator, second from left) and Mr. Chris Crouch (TAMU Senior
Reactor Operator, far right), during approach to criticality. Mrs.
Julia Eigenbrodt (TAMU guide) is shown partially obscured behind
Professor Paranjape (third from right).
