ROUND TABLE ON THE RADIUM PROJECT AT GSU

On March 30, our university hosted a round table on the RADIUM project “EU best practices-based education  in Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Culture for the Belarusian Academia” of the Erasmus + program. The project is implemented jointly by European universities (University of Bologna (Italy), Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain), Hasselt University (Belgium), Mannheim University (Germany)) and six universities of the Republic of Belarus.

The round table was attended by representatives of Sukhoi State Technical University of Gomel, the Gomel branch of the University of Civil Protection of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus, the Institute of Radiobiology, the Republican Center for Hydrometeorology, Control of Radioactive Contamination and Environmental Monitoring, JSC "Gomel Meat Processing Plant" and other enterprises.

At the opening of the round table, the first vice-rector of the university Andrei Kruk noted the vast experience accumulated by  our university in the implementation of many educational and scientific international projects. Project Manager, Head of the Department of Optics, Vladimir Gaishun, told about the structure of the RADIUM project and the specifics of interaction between partner universities. Associate Professor of the Department of Radiophysics and Electronics Alina Semchenko presented the work program of the new network Master’s degree programm in the specialty "Nuclear and Radiation Safety", which is planned to be opened in the next academic year. The training will take place sequentially in six universities of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian State University, Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, Polotsk State University, Polessie State University, Francisk Skorina Gomel State University, Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno). Dean of the Faculty of Physics and Information Technologies Dmitry Kovalenko told about the educational and scientific achievements of the faculty, as well as about the successes in the field of international cooperation.

The invited participants of the round table took an active part in the discussion of the Master's course work program. A.A.Boyko, the vice-rector for scientific work of Sukhoi State Technical University of Gomel, paid special attention to assessing the region's need for these specialists, representatives of the Civil Protection University of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus suggested taking into account their experience in radiation safety and also expressed interest in training specialists in this specialty, employees of the Institute of Radiobiology made a number of proposals for adjusting curricula, representatives of Belhydromet and JSC "Gomel Meat Processing Plant " pointed out the need to develop practical skills of undergraduates. In general, all the participants of the round table noted the high relevance of the stated goals and objectives for the needs of the Republic of Belarus.  The goal of the RADIUM project is to promote education and training in radiation protection and nuclear safety culture in the Republic of Belarus by developing and implementing a master's program in nuclear safety in six universities of the Republic of Belarus, taking into account the EU best practices in the field of compliance with international standards, thereby contributing to safe use of nuclear power in Europe.