From August 10 - 21, 2015, Dr. Charles L. Miller, Principal Nuclear Safety Consultant, AdSTM supported the IAEA by conducting an expert consultancy to review the above titled guidelines and associated documentation. The consultancy was held at the IAEA offices in Vienna, Austria. Dr. Miller also performed beta testing of the software package that is being developed to request pre-mission information electronically. He provided detailed findings and comments to assist the IAEA as they strive to finalize the revised guidelines and software and apply them to future missions.
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From August 13th-14th, a two-day meeting was conducted between AdSTM and the Dominican Regulatory Authority (RA) in Radiation Protection at the National Energy Commission (CNE). Several topics were discussed including:Status of the ionizing radiation sources/generators country wide inventory project.New specific projects for collaboration between USNRC/AdSTM and CNE.Discussions allowed for specific projects as potential candidates to enhance the work performed by the Dominican RA and continue the close collaboration between both parties. Representing AdSTM, was Mario Rodriguez.
From July 6- 11 2015, RSRP provided training on the Advanced Regulatory Information System (ARIS 2.0) to the Chadian Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (ATRSN). The primary objectives were the installation of the SQL-based ARIS 2.0 software, training for all four modules of software (Licensee, RASOD, Authorization, Inspection), and an introduction to the report system. Training also included an on-site visit for inventory verification. Training sessions were conducted for each module, and some more difficult exercises were conducted covering the integration between all ARIS modules.…
From July 13-15 2015, RSRP installed version 2.0 of the Advanced Regulatory Information System (ARIS) for the Ugandian Atomic Energy Council (AEC). This version consists of the RASOD, AUTHORIZATION and INSPECTION modules. The main feature of ARIS 2.0, besides being a SQL based system, is the new, fully functional INSPECTION module, which is designed for inspection process information management.The workshop which was split into 2 days included advanced training for Authorization module and an overview of all of the properties of the Inspection module. We conducted numerous training exercises…
The 2014-2015 Master Program in Radiation Protection at the Universidad de Las Americas (UDELAS) graduated nine radiation protection officers on July 17th, 2015. The Spanish language course was designed in collaboration between the Ministry of Health (MINSA) and UDELAS (University), with support from RSRP. In attendance were the graduates and family members, UDELAS management (Doris Hernández y Vielka de Donado), the course director Dr. Eloy Gibbs, representatives of USNRC (David Skeen and Jack Ramsey), and Sergey Katsenelenbogen and Mario Rodriguez from AdSTM. All graduates are or recently…
On July 16th, 2015, The Panamanian Regulatory Authority (RA) in Radiation Protection, at the Ministry of Health, received a visit from USNRC representatives. Several topics were discussed, including strengthening regulatory oversight of the safe and secure use of radiation sources. Future collaborative projects with the RA are currently being evaluated by USNRC. Dr. Itza Barahona de Mosca and Eng. Nadja Benson of RA, David Skeen and Jack Ramsey of USNRC, and Sergey Katsenelenbogen and Mario Rodriguez of AdSTM participated in the discussions.
Paulo Ferruz and John Kinneman of AdSTM, Inc conducted a consultancy with representatives from the Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica (CNEA) and the Ministry of Health in Asuncion, Paraguay which from 26 to 28 May 2015. In addition to technical discussions with the staff of both organizations, the then current head of CNEA described a major change in the structure of the regulatory body in Paraguay. A new, independent National Regulatory Authority on Radiation Safety ARRN, (Autoridad Reguladora Radiologica y Nuclear) which will report directly to the General Secretary of the Republic…
On May 21st, a meeting was conducted between AdSTM and the Ministry of Health in Costa Rica. This meeting was organized in order to present an overview of the RSRP program and discuss detailed information relevant to the potential collaboration between USNRC/AdSTM and Costa Rica for recording all the information related to ionizing radiation sources located in the country. A detailed presentation of the Advanced Regulatory Information System (ARIS) was also provided. Representing AdSTM was Mario Rodriguez.
Under the RSRP program, from May 14th to 15th, a technical meeting was conducted between AdSTM and the Ministry of Mines and Energy in Colombia. The main objective was to demonstrate ARIS capabilities. This meeting is part of an assessment process, at MME, of different regulatory information systems. Colombia will evaluate the feasibility of using ARIS since the large radiation sources database could benefit from a robust system as ARIS. Representing AdSTM, was Mario Rodriguez.
The Atomic Energy Council (AEC) of Uganda has been continuously supporting the RSRP global efforts to conduct country radiation sources inventory work and the implementation of the Advanced Regulatory Information System (ARIS). As a follow up visit on May 7th, 2015, RSRP conducted a meeting with the AEC in order to discuss source inventory experiences and define new collaboration activities with AdSTM. Several goals were established and a strong interest in continuing working together was clearly established by both parties.