PNRI to Help Bring Back Nuke Engineering Course in the Academe
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During the Consultation Meeting on Development of Nuclear Engineering Education Programs in the Philippines representatives from various universities and colleges in the Philippines are joined by PNRI Director Dr. Carlo Arcilla (1st row, 5th from left), DOE Energy Policy and Planning Bureau Director Ms. Carmencita Bariso (1st row, 7th from left), DOE Administrative Services Director Ms. Angelina Manga (1st row, 6th from left). Also in photo are IAEA experts Mr. Walid Metwally of the University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates and Mr. Cable Kurwitz of Texas A&M University, United States of America (1st row, 3rd and 4th from left, respectively), as well as officials and researchers from PNRI and DOE.
PNRI to Help Bring Back Nuke Engineering Course in the Academe
As the Philippines prepares for a national decision on whether or not to engage in a nuclear power program, several of the country’s leading universities and colleges were consulted for the re-establishment of a nuclear engineering course and other related academic programs with assistance from the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) and the Department of Energy (DOE).
During the consultation meeting at PNRI from June 18 to 21, officials from PNRI and DOE as well as experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) met with members of the academe in the fields of science and engineering to discuss the Philippines’ current education situation and to meet the expected human resources demands of a future nuclear power program.
Representatives present are department heads and professors from the University of the Philippines – Diliman, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, University of Santo Tomas, Mapua University, Central Luzon State University, University of the Philippines – Los Baños, University of San Carlos and Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology.
Human resources development is one of the Philippines’ current challenges for nuclear power. The meeting aims to revive the nuclear engineering program at the tertiary level, as the last batch of nuclear engineers graduated in 1984 from the University of the Philippines. The program ceased along with the shifting priorities of the government away from nuclear power and the mothballing of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in 1986.
Aside from addressing the lack of nuclear engineers, the IAEA emphasized the role of two-year academic programs in producing technicians and other support staff, who actually make up the bulk of the personnel necessary in building and operating nuclear power plants.
IAEA experts also proposed the “nuclearization” of several engineering, science and technical courses, especially the inclusion of basic nuclear science and radiation protection, which will allow the personnel to carry out their conventional fields of expertise in a nuclear or radiation-related setting.
Beyond nuclear power, PNRI hopes that the recent interest of the academic sector in nuclear science will also extend to other nuclear and radiation applications, especially given the expertise of certain universities and colleges in various fields of study such as in agriculture and medicine.
In the meantime, PNRI is also strengthening its own plethora of nuclear training courses. The Nuclear Training Center conducts more than 20 training courses annually for hundreds of professionals as well as undergraduates, covering topics such as nuclear technology, radiation safety and protection and non-destructive testing, to name a few.
The IAEA experts and meeting participants also visited some of the PNRI facilities. Among these are the neutron sources research facilities such as the Philippine Research Reactor – 1, which now houses the development of the Subcritical Assembly for Training, Education and Research (SATER), the recently established PNRI Neutron Laboratory, the Technetium-99m Generator Facility for medical procedures, and radiation processing facilities such as the Cobalt-60 Multipurpose Irradiation Facility and the Electron Beam Irradiation Facility.
PNRI Revives Technetium-99m Production
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The PNRI Technetium-99m (Tc-99m) Generator Facility (above) where the Institute produces the Tc-99m generator (below)
PNRI Revives Technetium-99m Production
Bringing the Philippines back on track in improving its nuclear medicine applications, the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) has restarted its production of Technetium-99m (Tc-99m) with resources from other countries.
With PNRI’s Tc-99m Generator Facility, the average cost for importing the workhorse radiopharmaceutical can be lowered by around 20 percent.
A medical radioisotope generated from Molybdenum-99m (Mo-99), Tc-99m allows doctors to scan and provide an image of various organs in the body, used in more than 80 percent of the world’s nuclear diagnostic imaging procedures.
With a short half-life of 6 hours, Tc-99m emits gamma rays which makes it very useful as a tracer in helping to diagnose various physical ailments and abnormalities at the early stages while minimizing the exposure of patients to radiation.
After negotiations with the Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) in Russia, PNRI Director Dr. Carlo Arcilla was able to secure a fresh shipment of Mo-99 from Moscow for the Institute’s operation of the generator facility, with the initial Tc-99m eluates to be used for unit dose training.
With the expected arrival of another batch of Mo-99m from Indonesia, PNRI plans to begin commercializing the Tc-99m radiopharmaceutical in the near future. The generator facility hopes to serve the needs of more than 40 nuclear medicine centers across the country.
PNRI has obtained a license to operate the Tc-99m facility from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2014.
PNRI Hosts 1st Coordination Meeting on Strengthening Radiation Safety Infrastructure in Asia and the Pacific
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DOST-PNRI Director Dr. Carlo Arcilla (10th from right) with IAEA experts, representatives from IAEA Member States in the Asia-Pacific region and PNRI officials and staff during the First Coordination Meeting for IAEA Project RAS9089
PNRI Hosts 1st Coordination Meeting on Strengthening Radiation Safety Infrastructure in Asia and the Pacific
Addressing the need for continuous improvement of radiation safety in the Asia-Pacific Region, the Philippines hosted the first coordination meeting for a new Technical Cooperation Project of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Thirty six (36) participants from 19 countries in the region, including regulators and technical staff from the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) and Department of Health-Food and Drug Administration-Center for Device Regulation, Radiation Health and Research (DOH-FDA-CDRRHR), met with IAEA project management and technical officers to convene the First Coordination Meeting for the IAEA Project RAS9089 on Strengthening Radiation Safety Infrastructure on April 16 - 20, 2018, Novotel Hotel, Quezon City.
Among the Member States who participated are Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.
The project aims to spur each country’s progress in their radiation safety infrastructure, eventually leading to full compliance with the IAEA safety standards.
These efforts cover four (4) thematic safety areas (TSAs): TSA 1 –regulatory infrastructure; TSA 3 – radiation protection and safety of patients; TSA 4- radiation protection of public and environment; and TSA 5- emergency preparedness and response, with the objective to achieve greater than 80% improvement of the indicators as reflected in IAEA Radiation Safety Information System (RASIMS).
Through the regional project on strengthening radiation safety infrastructure, the IAEA Member States will have an important platform to harmonize these efforts. It will also lead to an exchange of technical expertise and experiences between countries, and facilitate collaboration between countries with similar priorities and concerns, with the IAEA providing the necessary technical assistance, through expert missions, workshops, fellowships, and equipment.
By the meeting’s end, the participating Member States have finalized their national project team members, action plans and regional activities to be implemented from 2018 to 2021.
The PNRI serves as the country’s regulatory body for radioactive materials and facilities. Under Republic Act 5027 or the Atomic Energy Regulatory and Liability Act of 1968, no person can use, own, possess or transport nuclear and radioactive materials without a license from the former Philippine Atomic Energy Commission, which later became the PNRI.
The Philippines became a Member State of the IAEA in 1958.
Senators Visit IAEA and European Nuclear Facilities with PNRI Officials
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Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, Senate Energy Committee Chairperson Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian (7th and 8th from right), DOE Undersecretary Donato Marcos (extreme right) and PNRI Director Dr. Carlo. Arcilla (5th from right) with PNRI Technology Diffusion Division Chief and National Liaison Officer Ms. Ana Elena Conjares (6th from left) and PNRI Nuclear Regulatory Division Senior Science Research Specialist Ms. Teresita De Jesus (2nd from right) and members of the Philippine delegation at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria on May 2. (Photo by Dean Calma, IAEA)
Senators Visit IAEA and European Nuclear Facilities with PNRI Officials
Bearing witness to the diverse applications of nuclear science and technology, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Senate Energy Committee Chairperson Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian joined officials of the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) on a trip across Europe early in May this year to meet with officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as well as to visit various nuclear science facilities and laboratories.
Speaking during their scientific visit, Senate President Pimentel encouraged the use of nuclear technology “not just to generate electricity, but also for pest control, food & environment protection, plant breeding and genetics, soil and water management, animal protection and health, and dosimetry, or fighting cancer."
The Senate President also looked forward to future collaborations with PNRI in bringing these beneficial applications closer to Filipinos.
"We should not deny the benefits of this technology to Filipinos. I will be working closely with PNRI to see how the Senate can help them improve the quality of life of our countrymen," the Senate President said in a press statement.
Accompanying the senators are Undersecretary Donato Marcos of the Department of Energy (DOE) and PNRI Director Dr. Carlo Arcilla, along with officials and staff from PNRI and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Beyond highlighting the benefits of nuclear science, the tour provided the senators with a deeper perspective on crafting a more comprehensive nuclear legislation, which will take into consideration the Philippines’ obligations to nuclear safety and security treaties and conventions, regulatory functions and civil liability for damages, to name a few. A bill on the Comprehensive Nuclear Regulations Act, which is currently filed before both houses of Congress, aims to create an independent nuclear regulatory body, as well as to update and strengthen the country’s nuclear legal and regulatory regime in line with international standards.
To this end, the Philippine delegation first visited the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria on May 2 for a meeting with Deputy Director General Dazhu Yang and several IAEA experts on treaty law and legislative frameworks. This was followed by a scientific visit to the IAEA laboratories in Seibersdorf, Austria. There, the senators saw firsthand the latest innovations on nuclear science and technology in agriculture, medicine, industry and the environment.
After Austria, the senators and officials also visited Slovenia on May 3 to 4, where they met with officials of the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration and the Krško Nuclear Power Plant in Krško, Slovenia. A twin plant of the Philippines’ own Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), the Krško Nuclear Power Plant will potentially serve as a model plant for training future nuclear engineers and other human resources necessary should the Philippines engage in a nuclear power program.
