PNRI to Celebrate the 45th Atomic Energy Week
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PNRI to Celebrate the 45th Atomic Energy Week
Bringing nuclear and radiation applications closer to the Filipino people, the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) will celebrate the 45th Atomic Energy Week (AEW) with the theme, “Nuclear Science and Technology for the People" from December 4-7, 2017 at the PNRI compound.
As with every year's celebration, PNRI will once again feature the latest advances in nuclear science and technology in the country in the fields of agriculture, industry, medicine, and the environment with an open-house showcase of several exhibits by PNRI scientists and researchers with free guided tours for all visitors.
Congressman Joey Salceda, one of the authors of the bill for a Comprehensive Nuclear Law, will be the keynote speaker on the Opening Ceremonies on December 4.
Experts from PNRI and other scientific institutions will give in-depth lectures on nuclear and radiation applications during the afternoon technical sessions on December 4, which will feature topics on nuclear power, and on December 5, which will feature topics on nuclear and radiation technology.
Senior high school students, teachers and young professionals will attend the Third Philippine Nuclear Youth Summit to be held on December 5 in tandem with the Young Generation of Filipino Nuclear Scientists (YGFNS), an organization of young Filipinos that aims to promote the practice of nuclear science and technology in the Philippines.
Student activities will continue with 34 teams of high school students representing the 17 regions in the country competing in the national level of the 2017 Philippine Nuclear Science Quiz (PNSQ) on December 6.
The annual AEW celebration, as mandated under Presidential proclamation No. 1211 in 1973, aims to generate awareness of the Filipino people on the beneficial uses of nuclear science and technology in food and agriculture, industry, medicine and the environment.
For more information, you may contact us at 9208787, or e-mail us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit our PNRI Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PNRIDOST/
Dr. Soledad Castañeda Takes Oath as New PNRI Deputy Director
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The Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) congratulates Dr. Soledad Castañeda on her appointment as the Institute's new Deputy Director. DOST Secretary Fortunato Dela Pena administered the oathtaking on October 30. 2017 at the PNRI auditorium in the presence of PNRI Director Dr. Carlo Arcilla, the PNRI senior staff and the employees of the Institute.
Dr. Castañeda previously served as the Chief of the PNRI Atomic Research Division for several years. Her area of expertise includes nuclear and isotope techniques in environmental studies, hydrogeochemistry and analytical chemistry. She headed several projects on isotope applications in freshwater studies, nuclear and related techniques in air pollution studies and radioanalytical and non-radioanalytical measurements in various materials.
Filipino Plant Formula Wins Japanese Excellence Award
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Dr. Lucile Abad, who headed the Plant Food Supplement (PFS) project, demonstrated the E-beam applications for radiation processing of the PFS to experts and participants in a seminar by the Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia (FNCA) held in the Philippines. The liquid handling system was designed and fabricated by the PNRI Irradiation Services Section.
Left: The Plant Food Supplement (PFS) developed by PNRI scientists and researchers
Right: The FNCA Excellent Research Team of the Year Award for 2017
Filipino Plant Formula Wins Japanese Excellence Award
The Japanese government, through the Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia (FNCA), has awarded the project team behind the Plant Food Supplement (PFS) of the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) with the 2017 FNCA Excellent Research Team of the Year Award for its success in radiation technology applications.
The award was granted on October 11, 2017, in time for the 18th FNCA Ministerial Level Meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan this year. The FNCA is a Japan-led cooperation framework for the peaceful applications of nuclear technology. Among the participating countries in the FNCA are Australia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, The Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
The research team was led by Career Scientist Dr. Lucille Abad who heads PNRI’s Chemistry Research Section, which spearheaded the development of the PFS to greatly contribute to Filipino agricultural development and food security, as well as to help mitigate the effects of El Niño and climate change that ravages farmlands in the countryside.
With just 3.2 liters per hectare of water mixed with the right proportion of the PFS, the formulation was proven effective in increasing the yield of rice, mungbean and other crops by over 20 percent. The field tests also demonstrated the improved resistance of rice applied with PFS against the rice tungro bacilliform virus infestation as well as bacterial leaf blight. In some instances, the fields sprayed with PFS withstood a violent storm better than the surrounding fields without it.
These PFS were made from natural polymers such as carrageenan, a common industrial ingredient extracted from seaweeds. Irradiation degrades these polymers to form natural bioactive agents that can improve the health and increase the growth and yield of various crops. The carrageenan used for the PFS was irradiated at PNRI’s state-of-the-art Electron Beam Irradiation Facility in Diliman, Quezon City, the first facility of its kind in the country dedicated to semi-commercial services.
After successful field experiments on rice has proven its superb advantages, the PFS project was officially launched in November 2015. The following month, DOST started the widespread testing of PFS in Luzon, Panay Island, Zamboanga and Davao.
To this end, PNRI produced more than several tons of PFS since 2015. The products were distributed to thousands of hectares of ricefields in selected provinces of Regions 2 and 3 – in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, Ilagan, Isabela and in Pulilan, Bulacan.
The development of the formula began under a cooperative project with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) back in 2009. The PFS project was funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources (PCAARRD), while the field trials were co-implemented under Dr. Gil Magsino of the National Crop Protection Center of the University of the Philippines - Los Baños (UPLB).
ASEANTOM for Stronger Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards in Southeast Asia
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ASEANTOM for Stronger Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards in Southeast Asia
Addressing the need for stronger cooperation in Southeast Asia in the field of nuclear regulations, the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including the Philippines, embarked on the establishment of the ASEAN Network of Regulatory Bodies on Atomic Energy (ASEANTOM).
ASEANTOM aims to strengthen nuclear safety, security, and safeguards by enhancing cooperation and complementing the work among the ASEAN countries with the existing mechanisms at the national, regional, and international levels.
The countries participating in the ASEANTOM are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
With the invaluable support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the effort to establish the ASEANTOM was spearheaded in 2011 by the Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP), which currently serves as Thailand’s nuclear regulatory body.
Since its official founding in 2013, the ASEANTOM has already worked towards improving the coordination and capabilities of the ASEAN regulatory bodies. ASEANTOM member states have hosted several technical meetings, seminars and workshops in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Austria from 2013 to 2017.
Among the topics and issues addressed by ASEANTOM include nuclear forensics, radiation biodosimetry and metrology, environmental radiation monitoring, inter-agency networks, public communication, and nuclear emergency preparedness and response in general.
The Philippines will host the 4th Annual ASEANTOM Meeting and Technical Session on Nuclear Security on December 7 to 8, 2017 at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Quezon City.
