The TEES Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI) worked in collaboration with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) to organize “Nuclear Security Week” on the campus of UFRJ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This nuclear security education event for UFRJ students (both undergraduate and graduate) and faculty ran from September 28 through October 2 and consisted primarily of a lecture series on nuclear security, nuclear security culture, and insider threat given by NSSPI staff members Dr. Sunil Chirayath and Claudio Gariazzo and Dr. Matthew Sternat from Sandia National Laboratories. The participants in Nuclear Security Week also carried out a tabletop exercise on evaluating nuclear security systems and the impact of insider threat with guidance from the instructors. In addition, there were nuclear security presentations from practitioners around Brazil, including professionals from the National Nuclear Energy Commission, the Brazilian military, and Eletrobras Eletronuclear, the Brazilian nuclear reactor operator.
The U.S. Department of State’s Partnership for Nuclear Security sponsored the event as part of their engagement with Brazil, and it was carried out under Memoranda of Understanding between UFRJ and Texas A&M University and between TEES and COPPETEC, the graduate research administration unit for UFRJ.
