Improved skills and competences of students and academics in application of AMS in radioecology (AMSIR)

Introduction

The initiative aims at establishing a bilateral collaboration between the “Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD)” of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and the Department of Nuclear Chemistry of the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering (DNC) of the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU). The collaborative topic to be addressed by this bilateral initiative is “Application of AMS within radioecology” where AMS stands for the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry.

Project partners

Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CoE CERAD).

The CERAD’s core objective is to provide the scientific basis for impact and risk assessments which underpin management of radiation risks in combination with interacting stressors. The scope includes man-made and naturally occurring radionuclides in the environment that were released in the past (i.e. accidental and operational legacies), those presently released as well as those that potentially can be released in the future from the nuclear fuel cycle and non-nuclear industries.

Department of Nuclear Chemistry, FNSPE, CTU in Prague

DNC is a partner in a Czech project RAMSES (Ultra-trace isotope research in social and environmental studies using accelerator mass spectrometry, Project Nr. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000728) that has been building a new AMS laboratory equipped by a new Multi-Isotope Low-Energy AMS MILEA (manufactured by Ion Plus AG, Switzerland) in the Czech Republic. In this project, the DNC is responsible for the minor long-lived actinide isotopes (U, Pu, Am, Th) that are also among the foci of interest of the CERAD.

Project aims

During the project, following activities will be organised – two short courses / seminars (one in Prague and one in As) including mutual mobility of staff and educational experts, and the student mobility activity (Czech group to Norway) aiming at specialised training / education not available at the home universities. The main objective is strengthening of the bilateral relations and improving the mutual understanding between CERAD and DNC CTU Prague, and mutual exchange of knowledge and skills within the scope of utilization of accelerator mass spectrometry in radioecology.

Aims

  • Inviting the CERAD group to Prague to run a seminar / short course on the “Applications of AMS within radioecology and environmental radioactivity”. Withing this visit excursion in the AMS laboratory in Rez will take place.
  • Hosting several DNC students at CERAD for short period to take part in the NMBU KJM351 “Experimental radioecology" course.
  • Hosting several CERAD students / trainees in Prague to take part in a short-term training of the work in radiochemical laboratories.
  • Final visit of DNC researchers at As aimed at getting acquainted in more detail with the facilities available for the collaboration and at more detailed definition of the follow-up collaboration.

Project provider

Czech National Agency for International Education and Research within the scope of EEA grants and under project number EHP-CZ-MOP-2-010.