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GRADUATE EDUCATION ALLIANCE FOR TEACHING THE PHYSICS AND SAFETY OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

Project description

Teaching nuclear reactor safety

Nuclear power is a safe means of generating electricity and the risk of accidents is low. However, nuclear reactor safety remains a top priority. The EU-funded GREaT-PIONEeR project will develop specialised education in reactor physics and nuclear reactor safety for PhD and postdoc students, for nuclear engineers. It will include theory and hands-on training exercises. The aim is for the students to be able to perform nuclear reactor safety simulations understanding all the approximations on which such simulations rely. This is considered essential knowledge in the education of highly skilled nuclear safety analysts. The use of pre-recorded lectures and electronic teaching resources will allow students to learn at their own pace and get prepared for the hands-on training sessions. Those sessions, offered both on-site and remotely, will use active learning methods under the close supervision and support of the teachers, thus promoting student learning.

Objective

The GRE@T-PIONEeR project aims at developing a specialized education in reactor physics and nuclear reactor safety for PhD and Post-Doc students, for nuclear engineers, and taken as advanced courses for MSc students. The education will encompass both theory and hands-on training exercises, the latter heavily relying on the use of research/training reactors and of computer-based modelling environments. Sets of educational materials capitalizing on each other will be created, taking profit of the complementary expertise of the consortium partners. The covered topics will allow the students to fully comprehend all the methods and corresponding approximations used for modelling the behaviour of nuclear reactor cores, from the generation of nuclear cross-sections to the response of a reactor during a transient. By following the courses and hands-on training sessions, the students will be able to perform nuclear reactor safety simulations understanding all the approximations on which such simulations rely. This knowledge is essential for educating highly skilled nuclear safety analysts. Furthermore, the project will make use of an innovative pedagogical approach allowing (a) to improve student learning, (b) to maximize the time the students interact with the teachers, and (c) to provide education to remote students. For that purpose, a flipped classroom set-up offered in a hybrid environment allowing combining on-site and off-site attendees will be used. The flipped classroom format, by utilizing pre-recorded lectures and electronic teaching resources available 24/7, will allow the students to learn at their own pace prior to dedicated sessions during which they will interact with the teachers, either on-site or remotely for the off-site attendees. The synchronous sessions will heavily rely on active learning elements promoting high order thinking skills and will thus greatly improve the learning experience and outcomes for both the on-site an off-site audiences.

Coordinator

CHALMERS TEKNISKA HOGSKOLA AB
Net EU contribution
€ 568 445,00
Address
-
412 96 GOTEBORG
Sweden

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Region
Södra Sverige Västsverige Västra Götalands län
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
€ 754 375,00

Participants (9)