By Puja Daya, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication

Until two years ago, Geraldyne Ule Duque could not imagine she would get to learn about nuclear security at the IAEA in Vienna. Last month she did just that.

A fascination with nuclear science and energy from a young age led the Colombian to study physics with a focus on nuclear reactors in her home country. Seeking to gain a wider perspective abroad, Ule Duque applied for and has recently graduated with a master’s degree in medical physics from the University of Valencia, Spain, an opportunity made possible by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme — a scheme designed to provide young women with financial support and experience to complete degrees in the nuclear sector, addressing gender imbalance.

“Entering the nuclear field as a woman was challenging, but the scholarship has enabled me to come to Europe for the first time, continue my studies in a subject I am passionate about and even helped me gain the opportunity to pursue an internship and start a career as a young professional in the nuclear field,” said one of the scholarship holders who attended the international school on nuclear security at the IAEA and complemented their master’s studies with practical lessons on nuclear security, Ule Duque.

Funded by a 3 million euro contribution from the European Union, this is the first school organised by the IAEA for Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme participants.

“We were impressed by how excited, passionate and knowledgeable the students were. A further evidence that there is a great benefit to attract students from diverse backgrounds to the nuclear sector,” said Deputy Director-General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, the first woman to hold this post, Lydie Evrard. “The International School on Nuclear Security is one of the most prominent IAEA capacity building activities in the field of nuclear security.”

A seminar on the key legal instrument for nuclear security, the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials and its Amendment (A/CPPNM) will follow, with the aim to provide students with additional insights on the importance of this key nuclear security instrument.

The nuclear industry relies heavily on a specialised and highly trained workforce. Many countries face the challenge of ensuring an adequate and sustained pipeline of qualified nuclear professionals to meet the demands of their nuclear energy sectors, underscoring the need to develop young talent in this area.

The school, which ran for two weeks, provided students with the opportunity to meet and network with both their peers and experienced nuclear specialists. Faculty members and professionals from leading institutes around the world gave presentations and conducted practical exercises on various areas related to nuclear security. “It is fundamental to develop a safe and shared space where women in the nuclear field can create strong networks and voice the diverse knowledge they bring to the table,” said Director-General of the Directorate of Security and Safeguards at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission who was one of the invited experts for the school, Kathleen Heppell-Masys. “When I first entered the nuclear field more than 25 years ago, there was no such opportunity. Since then, I have seen the way we are growing as an industry with diverse thinking and new innovations, which is only possible with an inclusive workforce.”

From laboratory visits and technical demonstrations to theoretical lectures on nuclear security, the school is a unique opportunity for students to gain an overview of career options in nuclear.

“Developing specialists needed in the nuclear sector requires considerable effort and time,” said IAEA Deputy Director-General, Mikhail Chudakov. “This is why it is so crucial for young women to better understand and enter the nuclear field: diversity is key for innovation!”

Addressing a long-term challenge

Women make up less than a quarter of the workforce in the nuclear sector leading to lack of diversity, slowing down innovation. Bringing together varied experiences, world views and diverse teams, make for better understanding and improved addressing a variety of needs, resulting in gender-responsive outcomes.

Inspired by the work of two-time Nobel Prize winner, Marie Sklodowska-Curie, the fellowship programme enables young women to study nuclear disciplines by providing scholarships.

If you’re a woman enrolled in an accredited university in a master’s programme related to a nuclear discipline, do consider applying for the Fellowship programme for next year.

Moscow will create Russia’s first hospital-based 5G innovation range

In Moscow, Botkin Hospital will deploy Russia’s first industrial testing site with 5G infrastructure to test breakthrough digital technologies in healthcare. Together with the Botkin State Clinical Hospital, the most promising projects have been selected, including VR simulators for training medical personnel, AR solutions to help doctors during complex operations, and others. They will be tested in the hospital environment, using all the possibilities of 5G and cloud technology. Based on the results of the experiment, scenarios for using 5G networks in Moscow healthcare will be determined.

The cooperation agreement for this project was signed by the Moscow Center for Innovative Technologies in Healthcare, the Botkin City Clinical Hospital, the Moscow Department of Information Technologies (DIT) as well as Rostelecom, within the framework of the IV Forum of Social Innovations in Regions.

They agreed to conduct applied research, testing of prototypes and prototypes of solutions, digital services and services on the basis of the range.

“The development of new generation communication networks is one of the priorities in the technological development of all smart mega-cities in the world. Already, within the framework of the first pilot projects, it is clear how 5G networks can help citizens. Thanks to them, it is possible to make traffic safer, conduct remote medical consultations and solve complex production objectives. But for such solutions to be implemented at the scale of a 12-million-citizen metropolis, it is necessary to make sure that they are reliable, safe and effective. To this end, Moscow will create several industrial 5G test sites: these are operating city facilities where a 5G network will be deployed and various promising solutions will be tested,” said Minister of the Moscow Government, Head of the Department of Information Technology of Moscow, Eduard Lysenko.

The search, selection and testing of medical services will be handled by the Moscow Center for Innovative Technologies in Healthcare. Rostelecom will act as the operator of the 5G network: it will create infrastructure, provide equipment and develop technical solutions. The Department of Information Technologies of Moscow will coordinate and facilitate all stages of the piloting.

This data set will be analyzed using artificial intelligence technologies to help make prompt and informed medical decisions, including drawing on test results and digital medical images from the database. The solutions that will be piloted at the range will eventually become available at most healthcare institutions and will raise the quality standards of medical services across the country.

In cooperation with specialists from the Department of Information Technologies, the most capacious and effective solutions that can help doctors and patients will be tested, perfected and selected. These will include 3D modelling of X-rays available to every doctor, innovative solutions using virtual reality and artificial intelligence for the practical work of surgeons, and an intelligent video surveillance system.