Nuclear Days to host a discussion on the future of the nuclear power industry
1. 10. 2019
The 8th edition of the Nuclear Days event will be held in Pilsen this year. The event is jointly organized by ŠKODA JS a.s., the University of West Bohemia and CENEN (Czech Nuclear Education Network). This is an exhibition combined with lectures oriented towards presenting the use of nuclear power primarily to high-school and university students. The event is being held from April 19 to May 23, 2018, on the premises of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen.
The exhibition wants to assist young people in finding answers to the questions “What are today’s energy challenges? How does a nuclear reactor operate? Is nuclear power safe? Is it environmentally friendly and useful?” The exhibition features models of various nuclear power machinery as well as actual nuclear equipment or its parts and instruments related to the use of nuclear power. The exhibits include a model of a fuel assembly for the VVER 1000 reactor deployed in Temelín NPP, models of reactors and spent fuel casks as well as a model of a deep geological repository, and other exhibits.
The Nuclear Days program now includes a range of workshops. The first day of the event will host a panel discussion entitled “The Future of Nuclear Power and Technical Education in the Czech Republic” with the participation of Ján Štuller, a government representative, Dana Drábová, President of the State Office for Nuclear Safety, management of ŠKODA JS and UWB as well as other experts.
Another interesting item will be the workshop “New Projects for New Units” on Wednesday, April 25. It is intended for university students and the professional community, as are other workshops which will be held on Wednesday afternoons throughout Nuclear Days. The list of invitees includes organizations interested in building new nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic; attendance has been confirmed by representatives of ATMEA (a French–Japanese consortium), KHNP (South Korea) and ROSATOM (Russia).
The event is traditionally visited by students from UWB as well as other universities. ŠKODA JS has collaborated for many years with the Department of Power Systems Engineering at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at UWB and other educational institutions. However, a key component of the program are lectures for high-school students, especially technical schools and grammar schools. These will be held from April 25 to May 23 on Wednesday afternoons. The students will certainly enjoy the opportunity to visit the premises of the university where they could study in the future. It is one of the organizers’ intentions to expand and instigate interest in technical studies.
“The University of West Bohemia is one of the few universities in the country which educates experts in the area of nuclear power engineering. Nuclear Days, which is being held for the second time in the building of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, represents an excellent opportunity to present high-school and university students with the latest news and trends in this field,” says Miroslav Holeček, Rector of UWB.
Vladimír Poklop, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of ŠKODA JS, comments: “Our company believes that the earlier we approach and engage with all potential future colleagues, the shorter, faster and more efficient their introduction to the company practice will be. We have been engaged in long-term collaboration with the two leading university faculties: the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at UWB and the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague. However, we engage not only in the preparation of university students. Several years ago, ŠKODA JS commenced successful cooperation with the High School and Vocational School of Engineering, whose students come to work for us as technologists, engineering specialists, controllers, machinists, fitters, etc. We contributed to the foundation of Nuclear Days and are proudly participating in this year’s edition as well.”
Wednesday morning lectures for secondary school students are always followed by competitions, whose winners will receive a tablet computer. All participating students show great effort and become immersed especially in the practical sections.
The topics for lectures and competitions for high schools this year are:
- April 25 Living in Radiation Fields
- May 2 From the Natural Nuclear Fission Reactor to Nuclear Power Engineering
- May 9 Nuclear Myths and Facts + Fukushima: 7 Years On
- May 16 Energy Mix and the Role of Nuclear Power Engineering
- May 23 The Environment and Radioactive Waste
Complete information about this year’s Nuclear Days is available on the website www.jadernedny.cz