Published on the 21st October 2024 by ANSTO Staff
ANSTO warmly welcomed a delegation from the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) during a visit to ANSTO’s Lucas Heights campus last week.
The special tour follows the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in Vienna, as part of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s International Conference on Nuclear Security (ICONS 2024) during May.
The MoU is intended to enhance the strategic collaboration of Australian and the United States in nuclear security science, and the physical protection of nuclear materials and facilities.
Leading the delegation’s visit to ANSTO, Acting Principal Deputy Administrator of the NNSA, Corey Hinderstein met with a range of ANSTO teams and personnel.
Discussions centred on how the two nations can progress opportunities to collaborate across a range of mutual fields, including nuclear forensics, nuclear security, radiation detection and imaging technologies, and emergency preparedness and response.
Group Executive for Nuclear Safety, Security, and Stewardship, Dr Miles Apperley said the NNSA visit offered valuable insight into ANSTO’s extensive capabilities and expertise in nuclear security, which has long supported the Australian Government and ANSTO’s partners across the seas with the NNSA network.
“For over the last decade, ANSTO, the NNSA and the US Department of Energy’s National Laboratories have worked together across various teams and nuclear forensic science activities,” Dr Apperley said.
“This work has focused on analysing and determining the source and origin of nuclear and radioactive materials, the physical protection of nuclear materials and facilities, and delivering training programs to our neighbouring countries in the South East Asia and Pacific region.
“The MoU will now enable both Australia and the United States to centralise these activities under the one umbrella. It will enable us to solidify our strong working relationships and collaboration efforts, and exchange information and expertise for the enrichment of our respective nuclear security programs.
“For Australia, this will be of crucial benefit to our nuclear program, particularly for the development of a skilled nuclear security workforce for the future.”
During the visit, ANSTO was proud to share a technical demonstration of its own innovative radiation and detection imaging technology, CORIS360®. The demonstration was led by the pioneering scientist behind the invention Dr David Boardman, Chief Technology Officer and Principal Scientist for Detection and Imaging at ANSTO.
In showcasing the CORIS360® device, Dr Apperley commended the technology’s feature of capturing precise, high-quality images to remotely pinpoint the identity and exact location of radiation in an area.
“This technology has a significant range of applications across various settings – from border security and national security operations, to supporting radiation staff in their workplace,” Dr Apperley said.
“We look forward to partnering with the NNSA on this exciting new technology and demonstrating its versatile purposes.”
The tour of ANSTO forms part of a multi-week itinerary for the NNSA and US Department of Energy to meet with a cohort of Australian Government partners in Australia, as led by the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office.