The second Nuclear Forensics training session and a lesson-learning wrap-up seminar

14 Oct 2014 - 22 Oct 2014

On October 14 – 22, 2014, in the frame of STCU project P461, the second training session as well as a lesson-learning wrap-up seminar were held at the Kiev Institute for Nuclear Research, the main nuclear forensics expert organization in Ukraine.
During these events, the experts from Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia accepted comprehensive information concerning the practical aspects of nuclear forensic expertise and performed different types of measurements employing real nuclear materials and radiation sources stored in the Institute.

Particular attention was paid to the laboratory investigation of materials containing uranium and plutonium by means of a nondestructive gamma-spectrometric method. Between the trainings, the national experts solved homework tasks, based on real situations seen in the practice of Ukrainian nuclear forensics experts. The lessons-learned seminar was organized at the end of the project. The seminar served as a platform for experts discussions, evaluations and specialist’s feedback, as well as for the formulation of recommendations and final summing up of the results of the carried out exercises.


The main results and achievements of the project are the following:
 Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia essentially improved their capabilities in the categorization and characterization of radiological materials;
 the experts gained a hands-on experience in handling and measuring radioactive and, first of all, nuclear materials;
 the interactions amongst the experts during the trainings have promoted the transfer of knowledge, know-how and experience in the nuclear forensics field and have initiated the formation of a regional nuclear forensics expert community.



The training was jointly organized by STCU and KINR, and with the financial assistance of the U.S. Department of Energy/ National Nuclear Security Administration’s Global Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention (GIPP) Program.