International Student Competition - IAEA Third International Conference on Human Resource Development for Nuclear Power Programmes
- Details
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will hold the Third International Conference on Human Resource Development for Nuclear Power Programmes: Meeting Challenges to Ensure the Future Nuclear Workforce Capability from May 28-31, 2018 in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea.
The conference is directed at a broad range of experts in the area of capacity building, human resource development, education and training, knowledge management and knowledge networks for nuclear power programmes, and will review across the facility and worker lifecycle the current state of nuclear human resource development including nuclear education and training and will address issues such as availability and opportunities for sharing of relevant infrastructure.
In conjunction with the conference, the IAEA is also holding an International Student Competition to foster the younger generation’s interest in nuclear science and technology.
Students (aged 14-18 and currently enrolled in secondary schools) are invited to promote discussion and raise awareness on the current or future impacts and applications of nuclear science and technology in our lives. Students who design and implement the most innovative projects will be eligible for a trip to the Republic of Korea, to present at the conference, visit local schools and institutions, and attend cultural events.
The contestants will participate as part of a team of at least 3 students. The deadline for submission of abstracts is on December 1, 2017. The IAEA will notify the shortlisted participants on December 20, 2017, after which they will be required to submit a project summary in the form of a 3-minute video or digital media presentation on or before the midnight of March 2, 2018. The five finalist teams to be chosen will be given the opportunity to present their projects at the conference itself.
Read more at: https://www.iaea.org/events/human-resource-development-conference-2018
The Competition Guidelines and Submission form may be found here: http://www-pub.iaea.org/iaeameetings/56047/Third-International-Conference-on-Human-Resource-Development-for-Nuclear-Power-Programmes-Meeting-Challenges-to-Ensure-the-Future-Nuclear-Workforce-Capability
Mango Weevil Research Team Wins the National Award for the Presidential Lingkod Bayan Group Category
- Details
The Presidential Lingkod Bayan awardees pose with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, CSC Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala, and CSC Commissioner Robert S. Martinez (1st row, middle), and committee members Jarius Bondoc and Deborah Sy (rightmost), among them Scientist I, Mango Weevil Research Team Leader and PNRI Agriculture Research Section Head Ms. Glenda Obra (1st row, 5th from left), PNRI Irradiation Services Section Head Ms. Luvimina Lanuza (1st row, 4th from left) and PNRI Science Rsearch Specialist Mr. Sotero Resilva (2nd row, rightmost). They were joined by Mango Weevil Research Team Leader Dr. Louella Rowena Lorenzana of the Department of Agriculture (DA) (1st row, 6th from left). Photo courtesy of the Civil Service Commission. Published in Manila Bulletin, October 3, 2017.
Researchers under the Mango Weevil Research Team from the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) were finally honored in Malacañang as the national awardees of the 2017 Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award for the group category by no less than President Rodrigo Roa Duterte at the Rizal Hall of Malacañan Palace on September 20, 2017.
The awardees from PNRI are Ms. Glenda Obra, Scientist I and head of the Agriculture Research Section, along with Mr. Sotero Resilva, Science Research Specialist, and Ms. Luvimina Lanuza, head of the Irradiation Services Section. Also among the national awardees are their project counterparts from DA, namely Dr. Louella Lorenzana, Mr. Edison Bauzon and Ms. Elvira Litan.
The research team was selected from among several Presidential Lingkod Bayan regional awardees under the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Honor Awards Program for 2017.
See: http://www.pnri.dost.gov.ph/index.php/2-uncategorised/504-pnri-researchers-win-the-presidential-lingkod-bayan-regional-award
PNRI Researchers Win the Presidential Lingkod Bayan Regional Award
- Details
Ms. Glenda Obra, Scientist I and head of the PNRI Agriculture Research Section (5th from left), Mr. Sotero Resilva, Science Research Specialist (6th from left), and Ms. Luvimina Lanuza, head of the PNRI Irradiation Services Section (4th from left) with PNRI Atomic Research Division Chief Dr. Soledad Castañeda (3rd from left) and PNRI researchers during the awarding of the 2017 Presidential Lingkod Bayan Regional Award at the Luxent Hotel in Quezon City.
Dissection of irradiated and unirradiated mango-pulp weevil-infested mangoes at the PNRI Mango Pulp Weevil Holding Laboratory.
PNRI Researchers Win the Presidential Lingkod Bayan Regional Award
For their pioneering work in enhancing the quality of Filipino mango exports, agriculture specialists from the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) were awarded with the 2017 Presidential Lingkod Bayan Regional Award by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) as part of the Mango Weevil Research Team, which utilized irradiation as a quarantine treatment against the mango pulp weevil Sternochetus frigidus (Fabr.).
Ms. Glenda Obra, Scientist I and head of the PNRI Agriculture Research Section, along with Mr. Sotero Resilva, Science Research Specialist, and Ms. Luvimina Lanuza, head of the PNRI Irradiation Services Section, were among the awardees from PNRI on September 11 at the Luxent Hotel in Quezon City.
Also among the awardees were their collaborators from the Department of Agriculture, namely Dr. Louella Lorenzana, Mr. Edison Bauzon and Ms. Elvira Litan.
The PNRI-developed quarantine treatment, which involves exposing the mangoes to gamma irradiation, is the first and only one of its kind worldwide for mango pulp weevil. Based on PNRI’s research studies, a minimum radiation dose of 165 gray (Gy) is enough to make the adult mango weevil sterile, providing sufficient quarantine security for Philippine Super Mangoes. The irradiation treatment is also more cost-effective than the conventional vapor heat treatment, saving farmers up to half a million pesos per hectare.
Quarantine pests such as the mango pulp weevil prevent our country’s mango exports from entering international markets such as the US and other countries with strict quarantine regulations. The wasted potential aggravates the economic woes of the local mango growers and exporters who contribute a substantial share of the Philippines’ total agricultural exports.
A cooperation agreement late in 2006 between the PNRI, the DA and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) began the development of the quarantine treatment, aiming to allow Filipino mango exports to enter the United States.
After years of research and public consultations, the quarantine treatment was finally approved in 2014 in the United States and subsequently published under a final rule in the US Federal Register. As per the final rule, the Philippines also succeeded in getting the US government to recognize most of the mango-producing regions of the country as pulp weevil and seed weevil-free areas.
Its success is also reflected by its inclusion in the USDA Plant Protection and Quarantine Treatment Manual, and the treatment will eventually be used in all countries with the mango pulp weevil, particularly in Southeast Asia.
PNRI Ensures Nuclear Safety in ASEAN Events
- Details
A member of the PNRI Mobile Expert Support Team (MEST) discusses about the Mobile Detection System (MDS) van previously used by PNRI and police personnel during the APEC and ASEAN summits.
PNRI MEST teams and AFP personnel in action.
PNRI Ensures Nuclear Safety in ASEAN Events
Working hard to ensure the safety and security of world leaders and other participants from possible nuclear or radiological incidents, the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) deployed its Mobile Expert Support Teams (MEST) as the Philippines hosted the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2017, in time for the intergovernmental organization’s 50th anniversary.
With their expertise in nuclear science and radiation protection, the PNRI MEST teams provided assistance to members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in carrying out security measures to prevent the unauthorized presence of nuclear and other radioactive materials during major meetings and activities, most of which were held from August 2 to 8.
These include the Grand Commemorative Celebration of ASEAN’s 50th Anniversary, the 50th ASEAN Annual Ministerial Meeting, and other important general ASEAN events being held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
PNRI has also previously provided its expertise during major international events hosted by the Philippines, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit on November 18-19, 2015, and the more recent 30th ASEAN Leaders’ Summit held on April 26 to 29, 2017.
Beyond the use of PNRI’s state-of-the-art radiation detection equipment, MEST experts were also instrumental in various training courses, seminars and workshops for police and military personnel involved in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Emergency (CBRNE) response actions.
These training efforts were conducted with the invaluable support of the United States Department of Energy - National Nuclear Security Administration (USDOE-NNSA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
