Éric Gadet is appointed Director of INSTN - the French National Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology - on the 14th of October 2019.

Éric Gadet, a graduate of the French National School of Chemistry and Physics in Bordeaux (France), with a Post-graduate Diploma (DESS) in Business Management (CAAE) from the IAE - the French Institute of Business Management -in Paris, began his career at the CEA in 1994, where he held various positions in the field of Human Resources - including Human Resources Manager of the Technological Research Division (DRT), Deputy Director of Human Resources and Social Relations, and Director of Human Relations at the Military Applications Division (DAM). From 2010 to 2012, he also held the position of Director of Human Resources at the Scientific and Technical Center for Building (CSTB).

He joined INSTN in 2018, first as Deputy Director, in charge of operations, then as Acting Director, subsequently becoming Director from the 14^th October 2019. His career in the field of Human Resources supports INSTN in its drive to provide an Education and Training offer adapted to the skills needs of the nuclear industry.

His appointment as Director of INSTN follows the publication in the Official Bulletin of the Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition, on the 22nd of October 2019, of an Interministerial Decree - Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition, Ministry of Economy and Finance and Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation - appointing the Director of the French National Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology on the 14th of October 2019.

On the 27th of September, 120 students from Albert Einstein High School, in Bagnols-sur-Cèze (France), participated in the second edition of the Hackadem, the digital hackathon for decommissioning hosted at the CEA Marcoule site and supported by INSTN.

The aim? To design a solution that responds to a pre-defined nuclear decommissioning scenario. In the morning, final year Science and Engineering (SI) and Science and Technology of Industry and Sustainable Development (STI2D) students worked in groups, assisted by four start-ups from the Occitanie region - OREKA Solutions, GAMBI-M, Innowtech, Elements Nuclear - as well as second-year students of the Nuclear Cleanup and Industrial Sites Development Masters (Master Assainissement nucléaire et valorisation des sites industriels), co-founded in 2015 by INSTN.

In the afternoon, the high school students presented their project to a jury panel of professionals, at the Marcoule Institute for Separation Chemistry. The winning groups were awarded their trophy by Anthony Cellier, Member of Parliament of the Gard region, Jean-Yves Chapelet, Mayor of Bagnols-sur-Cèze, and the CEA.

The Hackathon is a creative process frequently used in the field of digital innovation. It provides an opportunity to tackle technical challenges representative of those encountered in real professional situations and to imagine innovations, methods and original technological approaches to meet them.

Over 100 people attended a one-week course on severe nuclear accidents, organised by INSTN with our Indian partner HBNI and the international network SARNET (Severe Accident Research NETwork of Excellence).

Following a partnership agreement signed between INSTN and HBNI - Homi Bhabha National Institute - the internationally recognised training institute established by the Indian Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), we organised a week of training on severe accidents in nuclear reactors, from the 9^th to 14^th of September, at Cadarache in the south of France, as part of the European SARNET network.

Participants, including 30 international experts and more than 20 students, from different countries - France, India, Japan, Korea, China, Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, Canada, etc. - met to share knowledge on the topics covered and visit the Cadarache Centre’s specialised research facilities (PLINIUS, VERDON). Sixty-five people attended the course and forty people from the DAE participated remotely from Mumbai.

The aim was to transfer over two decades of knowledge on severe accidents, covering different types of reactor technologies, to Masters and PhD students, and young engineers, scientists and researchers who have recently joined the field.

The experts from India provided their expertise on the science, management and simulation of severe accidents in heavy water reactors and on the specific features of this reactor technology.

French Commission for Engineering Degrees and Certifications (CTI) renewed INSTN accreditation for delivering Engineering Masters Degree specialising in Nuclear Engineering, for a period of five years.

In May 2019, the French Commission for Engineering Degrees and Certifications (CTI) renewed INSTN's accreditation to award our Engineering Masters Degree specialising in Nuclear Engineering, for a further five years. Among the strengths noted were: ‘excellence of teaching staff’, ‘a degree recognised by industry, including internationally’, ‘excellent employment prospects of graduates’, ‘personalised monitoring of students’. For over 60 years, the Engineering Masters Degree specialising in Nuclear Engineering has been continuously adapted to the needs of the nuclear industry by maintaining a close relationship with civil and defense contractors (one third of the Degree’s intake comes from the military). Among the latest developments are: the creation of a Development Committee, reforms to our teaching model in line with a skills database that has been reviewed with professionals, and integration of new digital learning methods.

The Nuclear Engineering Masters course content allows students to acquire competences in highly specialised disciplines, such as Nuclear Reactor Physics and Pressurised Water Reactor operation. It also covers key crosscutting skills (electricity network, decommissioning, nuclear power economics, human and social sciences), which Nuclear Engineering graduates will need to apply to their careers in a complex energy sector. With these competences, graduates are considered by the industry to be a safe investment resulting in 100% recruitment in the 6 months following graduation.

 

 

 

During visit to INSTN Marcoule, Secretary General of Gard Prefecture emphasised the need for training to support EDFs Grand Carénage refurbishment programme.

On the 6th of June, Geneviève Castellane, Vice President of the Gard Rhodanian Metropolitan Area, François Lalanne, General Secretary of the Prefecture, Sabrina Toussaint, Head of Employment and Development at the Gard Rhodanian DIRECCTE(1), and Michaël Pulci, Delegate of the Prefecture for Bagnols and Pont-Saint-Esprit, visited INSTN’s Marcoule Training Centre in the Gard (South France). Isabelle Ribet, Head of the Training Centre, explained how INSTN adapts to the local context at each of our locations. This is especially true in Marcoule, where special efforts are made to support jobseekers towards qualified employment, and where expertise is developed in Education and Training courses related to nuclear cleanup, decommissioning and waste processing, and whose influence is local, national and international.

The official delegation visited the Site Training School (chantier école) facilities, which allows learners to practice in an environment and working conditions which replicate a real work site as closely as possible. During his visit, Mr. François Lalanne emphasised the need for training for the EDF Tricastin site: "At Tricastin, there are eight to ten years work ahead, with €800 million of investment for companies. It is very important to ensure ahead of time that companies have trained operators," he said. INSTN is ready to take up this challenge

(1)    Regional Directorate for Business, Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs, Work and Employment

 

 

INSTN expands collaborations to develop competences in Energy and Nuclear Medicine in Vietnam.

In 2019, INSTN has been expanding collaboration in Education and Training in Vietnam. We signed an agreement with Vinatom that complements those already established with four universities, including Electric Power University and Hanoi University of Science and Technology, with whom we have specific areas of cooperation.

In May, INSTN signed a collaboration agreement with the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (Vinatom), to develop competences in Nuclear Physics for medical applications, and develop the Science and Technology skills required for the construction and operation of a research reactor planned for Ho Chi Minh.

Our official visit was also an opportunity to move forward in identifying initial projects with Electric Power University and Hanoi University of Science and Technology, both of whom are particularly interested in renewable energies, especially solar power, and nuclear medicine.

The first Counselor of the French Embassy in Vietnam, Mr. Olivier Sigaud, highlighted the importance of this agreement and connections in light of current developments of Franco-Vietnamese ties.

 

 

 

 

 

Caroline Traisnel won the regional prize for best Masters degree internship project at the French Society of Mechanics and Materials.

Last year, at the age of 26, Caroline Traisnel completed her Masters in Materials for Energy and Transport (MET). With a suitable choice of final project she won the regional prize of the French Society of Mechanics and Materials (SF2M) for the best Masters internship project. She carried out her internship at the Laboratory of Engineering Sciences for Environment at the University of La Rochelle. One of her supervisors, who is part of SF2M, encouraged her to apply. ‘‘I won the Western Region prize! Amongst the criteria considered were the progress of the internship, autonomy, integration, and the project report, as well as overall academic results," says Caroline, who obtained a cheque for €500 and a one-year membership of SF2M. In fact, her internship went so well that she is now doing her PhD at the same laboratory. Her thesis is looking at the diffusion of hydrogen on the surface and sub-surface of monocrystalline nickel.

Well prepared students

The recent graduate won this prize not only due to her commitment, but also to her training. "My modelling and physical chemistry of surfaces classes, as well as the introduction to ab initio calculations, allowed me to get ahead and be at ease during my internship," says Caroline. Enthusiasm shared by the Head of the MET Masters, Nihed Chaâbane: "She was top of her class and passed each module with top marks. When SF2M asked me to evaluate her competences she already had them well under her belt. Our students are well equipped for this type of prize, as the Masters begins with a general core, common to all students, covering the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of materials, prior to specialisation." As course Head, Nihed Chaâbane looks forward to the award each year and hopes it will inspire future student intakes.

 

 

 

Looking into defining international standards for Small Modular Reactors (SMR) is the theme of the award-winning project by this graduate student from Nuclear Engineering.

In January 2019, Alban Martinez-Delcayrou, aged 24, won second prize at the Nugenia-Enen Awards, offered by the two associations. The objective of the candidates: to propose an innovative solution for safe and efficient low-carbon nuclear energy production, within an international context. "I chose to work on Small Modular Reactors, which are more adaptable to the needs of developing countries. Through series production it is possible to achieve economies of scale," says the graduate from INSTN’s Nuclear Engineering Degree for specialist engineers.

The award is a good opportunity for him to be spotted by recruiters, who are keen on this type of competition. "These awards are quite popular at the moment as the industry wants to make itself known to the best graduates and then recruit them," says Constance Coston, Director of Training at INSTN. The Masters degree in Nuclear Engineering allows students to acquire technical competences that are very useful when confronted with this type of jury. "We train them in reactor physics and the design, operation and safety issues of pressurised water reactors. From there, they can focus on any technology and apply these concepts to different types of reactors," says Constance Coston.

Alban came second at the Nugenia-Enen Awards, rewarding an excellent performance given that his competitors were all PhD students, and all older than him. He won €3,000 to complete his project: "What I proposed is quite ambitious. The idea is to think about the international standards to be defined for Small Modular Reactors. We must therefore put several producing countries around the table, to see what standards can be agreed upon," explains Alban, who is preparing to travel to Brussels, then China and the United States, in order to exchange with representatives from the sector."