Citation:
J. Miller, B. Goddard, P. Nelson, S. Paranjape, A. Littlefield, “Texas A&M University and India Academic Exchange Collaboration of Best Practices in Nuclear Security Education”, INMM 54th Annual Meeting, 14-18 July 2013, Palm Desert, California, USA.
Abstract:
As part of a collaboration between the Nuclear Security Policy Institute (NSSPI) at Texas A&M University, Sandia National Laboratory, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU), and Indian Institute of Technology a Kanpur (IIT-Kanpur), a series of lectures encompassing various topics in nuclear security were given on site in India in the spring of 2013. This is an international effort to help prepare a cohort of well-trained students in nuclear security topics before they enter the Indian nuclear workforce. This work contains two parts, one in India and one in the United States. While in India, at least 20 lectures will be given over selected nuclear security topics, on site nuclear facilities will be visited, and in graduate level exercises will be completed including a final examination. In conjunction with faculty at both universities, several students will be selected for the second phase. The second phase involves a capstone project of lectures and research at Texas A&M by selected students from each university in the early summer 2013. This is meant to be a full immersion into nuclear science and will have extensive hands on nuclear detection and nuclear materials measurement experience including several alpha, beta, gamma, and neutron measurement techniques. The visiting Indian students will have at least two weeks of hands on laboratory experience in best practices using the state of the art equipment at Texas A&M University. Additionally, these capstone students will have a visit to Sandia National Laboratory. The culmination of this capstone is attending this INMM Annual Meeting. This particular work is a first step in creating academic programs at both Indian institutions which have an emphasis on nuclear security within the framework of each curriculum. This is also the first step in a projected on going exchange of best practices in nuclear security education between the three universities involved.