NSSPI hosted faculty members from four Nigerian universities for a nuclear security study tour December 1 through 5. The faculty members hailed from Ahmado Bello University, Obafemi Awolowo University, the Univerity of Ibadan, and the University of Port Harcourt, and the purpose of their visit was to seek guidance on the development of nuclear security courses in their respective universities. Dr. William Charlton, Dr. Craig Marianno, and Dr. Sunil Chirayath, all of NSSPI, along with Dr. Richard Mac Namee of the Bush School of Government and Public Service gave presentations to the group on the multi-faceted nuclear security curriculum at Texas A&M University. Dr. Joseph Stainback IV and Ms. Hannah Hale from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK) discussed the nuclear security curriculum at UTK.
In addition to attending the nuclear security curriculum discussions, visitors toured the TRIGA research reactor at Texas A&M’s Nuclear Science Center as well as the TEEX ‘Disaster City’ training facility. The visitors interacted with the INMM student chapter executive members from Texas A&M and UTK. In this session, students discussed the activities of their student chapters and discussed their perspectives about the nuclear security curriculum at both universities.
The nuclear security study tour is a first step toward an ongoing relationship between the universities involved, which could involve student exchanges, additional curriculum development and training sessions for faculty, and formal agreements.
The nuclear security study tour was sponsored by the Department of State’s Partnership for Nuclear Security (PNS).
