As part of the Next Generation Nuclear (NGN) CDT, I completed a 3 month taught course as part of my training with the aim to give me an overview of the nuclear industry. Each week was dedicated to a different area, ranging from structural engineering to high level decision making. We also had the opportunity to visit key nuclear sites around the UK, and gain insight on how theory is applied in the real world.
The NGN CDT is a partnership between The University of Manchester, University of Sheffield, University of Leeds, University of Liverpool and Lancaster University. The taught course is a great way to network with other researchers from different backgrounds, particularly when you are working together to solve a problem. For example, a physicist may have a completely different approach from an environmental scientist.
Overall, the course was extremely useful in visualising where my PhD fits in to the nuclear fuel cycle, and why it is important. It’s been interesting to learn about the development of the nuclear industry in the UK and to have a glimpse on where it may go in the future.
By Sarah Butterworth
Another exciting innovation into the monitoring of radioactivity in the environment was presented by Dr Tom Scott, a self-confessed Star Wars fan, from Bristol University as part of the Dalton Seminar Series. The talk was entitled “A Drone’s eye perspective of radiological clean up around Fukishima”. Following the incident at Fukishima Daiichi nuclear plant […]
Well done to Tim Marshall who recently passed his PhD viva and graduated.Tim’s PhD thesis was on radionuclide speciation during (abiotic) alterations of iron rich minerals in the chemically disturbed zone around a geological disposal facility. His examiners were Prof Richard Pattrick and Dr Caroline Peacock. I asked Tim… What were the highlights of your PhD? […]
At the end of September 2014, a new Cameca NanoSIMS 50L was delivered to the University of Manchester, located in the Photon Science Institute, and only the 36th instrument worldwide. The NanoSIMS is a state-of-the-art microscope capable of imaging elements and isotopes with parts per million sensitivity at a spatial resolution down to 50 nanometres. […]
The research group were delighted to host Don Reed as he gave a seminar at the University on Friday. Don is the Team Leader of the Actinide Chemistry and Repository Science Program at Los Alamos National Laboratory, US. Don gave an excellent talk on plutonium behaviour in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) – A […]