The Workshop on Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems was held
On January 26, 2024, “The Workshop on Innovative Nuclear Energy System” was held at Tokyo Institute of Technology's Ookayama Campus, inviting four experts involved in the development of next-generation nuclear reactors, and attended by 26 people including the presenters.
Following opening remarks by Professor Toru Obara, Chair of the Nuclear Innovator Cultivation Program (NICP), three students who took " Innovative Nuclear System Design Project", a course in the Graduate Major in Nuclear Engineering at Tokyo Institute of Technology, presented their reactor designs and answered questions from the experts and participants.
Mr. TAN Zi Han（M2, Graduate Major in Nuclear Engineering）
Ms. Carmen AVILA (International Exchange Student, UG4, MIT）
Ms. Riley MOEYKENS (International Exchange Student, UG4, MIT)
Presentation by Mr. TAN
Presentation by Ms. AVILA
Presentation by Ms. MOEYKENS
Q & A Session with nuclear experts
Afterwards, nuclear experts from Japan Atomic Energy Agency and three plant manufacturers gave lectures on the development of next-generation reactors. It was a very meaningful opportunity for the participating students, to deepen their understanding of the future direction of nuclear reactor development.
Dr. Yamano, Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Dr. Asano, Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation
Dr, Kito, Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy
Mr. Kamohara, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Program
13:30～13:35
Opening remarks
13:35～14:20
Presentations of “Innovative Nuclear Power System Design Project” results by three students
＜Call for Participants＞The Workshop on Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems
The situation surrounding nuclear energy development is drastically changing due to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, the promotion of measures to tackle global warming, the introduction of renewable energy, and major changes in the international situation. Considering these circumstances, a workshop on innovative nuclear energy system research will be held to discuss the future direction of nuclear reactor development with students.
Organizer
Nuclear Innovator Cultivation Program (NICP), Tokyo Institute of Technology
Date / Time
Friday, January 26, 2024, 13:30-16:35
Venue
Multipurpose Hall, 1F, North Bldg. 3 (EEI Bldg.), Ookayama Campus, Tokyo Institute of Technology (2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo)
Nearest station: Ookayama Station on Tokyu Meguro Line and Oimachi Line
If you wish to participate, please register by January 24, 2024 (Wed.) using the form below. Application Form
Inquiry：Nuclear Innovator Cultivation Program (NICP), Tokyo Institute of Technology
nicp[at]zc.iir.titech.ac.jp
Profs. Obara and Katabuchi Visit the US [October 29- November 8, 2023]
Prof. Obara, Chair of the Nuclear Innovator Cultivation Program (NICP), and Associate Prof. Katabuchi, the program faculty, made a business trip to the United States from October 29 to November 8, 2023 (from October 30 for Associate Prof. Katabuchi). They visited six U.S. universities participating in the NICP and two institutions that cooperate with the program, explaining the AY2023 results and the plan for AY2024, and requested their continuing cooperation.
On October 30, Prof. Obara visited the Department of Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and met with Prof. Paul Wilson, Chair of the Department. Prof. Obara explained NICP activities in AY2023, including the Nuclear Innovation Boot Camp (NIB2023-JAPAN) and the Nuclear Innovation Study Abroad Program (SANI2023), as well as the AY2024 plan including the Nuclear Innovator Training Camp (NICC2024) and SANI2024. Prof. Wilson expressed his high appreciation for NICP's activities this year and his continued support for the next fiscal year.
Prof. Wilson（right）and Prof. Obara
Engineering Research Building, UW–Madison
On October 31, Profs. Obara and Katabuchi visited the University of Michigan's Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences to meet with Department Chair, Prof. Todd Allen. Profs. Obara and Katabuchi explained the NICP activities in AY2023 and exchanged opinions on the NICP 2024 plan. Prof. Allen highly evaluated NICP's activities this year and his continued support in the next fiscal year.
Prof. Allen（left）and Prof. Obara
Prof. Allen (left) and Prof. Katabuchi
Then, they met with Prof. Gary Was, followed by a tour of the Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory led by Associate Prof. Kevin Field, and exchanged ideas for future cooperation on activities.
With Prof. Waz（center）
With Prof. Field（center）
On November 1, they visited the Department of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University and met with Prof. Mohamed Bourham. The two explained the NICP activities in AY2023 and exchanged opinions on the NICP plans in 2024. Prof. Bourham expressed his high evaluation of NICP activities and his continued support. Then, they visited PULSTAR, a research reactor owned by the university, and discussed future cooperation.
Prof. Bourham（right）and Prof. Obara
Prof. Bourham（right）and Prof. Katabuchi
On November 2, they visited the Washington Office of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and met with Dr. Toru Nakatsuka, Director of the Office. They thanked Nakatsuka for the cooperation in NIB2023-JAPAN and discussed future cooperation. The two then visited the Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) to meet with Ms. Judy Greenwald, Executive Director, and Ms. Miya Zapf, Coordinator, to review the NIB2023-JAPAN and talk about the next year's Nuclear Innovation Camp (NIB).
With Dr. Nakatsuka (right)
With Ms. Greenwald (center)
On November 3, the two visited the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and met with Prof. Binoit Forget, Department Head, to explain the NICP activities in AY2023 and its future. Next, they met with Prof. Emilio Baglietto, the host faculty for SANI2023 student Ryunosuke Nishio (first-year doctoral student at the Tokyo Institute of Technology). Then, they visited Prof. Jacopo Boungiorno, Director of the Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems (CANES). The three MIT professors highly appreciated NICP's activities and expressed their continued support in the coming year.
They also met with Mr. Nishio to hear about the progress of his research and his life and confirmed that he is having a successful study abroad experience. They also met Ms. Alice Ding, a participant in NIB2023-JAPAN who belongs to the same laboratory as Mr. Nishio, confirming that the NICP program is contributing to the network building between young researchers in the U.S. and Japan.
With Prof. Forget（center）
With Prof. Baglietto (center)
With Prof. Buongiorno (center)
With Mr. Nishio and Ms. Ding
On November 6, the two visited the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California Berkeley and met with Prof. Jasmina Vujic, Program Director of the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC), then with Associate Prof. Massimiliano Fratoni, Chair of the Department of Nuclear Engineering. Both professors highly appreciated NICP's activities and expressed their continued support in the coming year. Profs. Obara and Katabuchi then gave a lecture at a seminar held at the university.
With Prof. Vijic (center)
Prof Obara in the seminar
Prof. Katabuchi in the seminar
With Profs. Vijic (center) and Fratoni (second from right)
On November 7, the two visited the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M University (TAMU) and met with Prof. Karen Kirkland, Associate Department Head, followed by Prof. Sunil Chirayath. After that, they visited Associate Prof. John Ford, the host professor of another SANI2023 student, Mr. Yu Fujiwara (first-year doctoral student at Osaka University). Three TAMU professors highly appreciated the NICP activities and expressed their continued support for the next year. They also met with Mr. Fujiwara in Prof. Ford's laboratory to hear about his research activities and daily life and confirmed that he is having a successful study abroad experience.
With Prof. Kirkland (second from right), and Prof. Chirayath (right)
With Mr. Fujiwara (center)
This business trip enabled both NICP professors to further strengthen the cooperative relationship with each of the six universities and two institutions in the U.S. by directly reporting the NICP activities, having discussions, and site visits.
Profs. Obara and Katabuchi Visit MIT and Washington, D.C. [March 6-11, 2023]
As part of the Nuclear Innovator Cultivation Program (NICP), Chair Obara and Associate Professor Katabuchi, the program faculty, visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Washington, D.C. to discuss the "Nuclear Innovation Boot Camp 2023 (NIB2023 - JAPAN)" and to follow up the "Study Abroad Program for Nuclear Innovation (SANI)".
On March 7, Obara and Katabuchi visited MIT to meet with Mr. Toshiro Sakabe, a doctoral student at the Graduate School of Energy Sciences, Kyoto University. He has been studying at Professor Dennis Whyte's laboratory as a SANI 2022 student from the end of November 2022 to the end of March 2023. They also met with Dr. Kevin Waller, Mr. Sakabe’s supervisor, who showed them the experimental facility and overviewed their experiment. The visit confirmed that the SANI student’ research activity is progressing meaningfully and smoothly.
(From left) Prof. Katabuchi, Mr. Sakabe and Prof. Obara
Mr. Sakabe and Dr. Kevin Woller（right）
Following the meeting, they met with Prof. Jacopo Buongiorno, Director of the Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems (CANES), to ask for his continuing cooperation in the 2023 SANI program and to exchange views on the plans for NIB2023 - JAPAN.
NIB2023 - JAPAN calls for the participation of university students and young researchers from around the world, aiming at nurturing global innovators in the nuclear field through group works featuring the visit to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and special lectures to cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit. The camp will be held from July 29 to August 12, 2023, in Japan for the first time, hosted by Tokyo Institute of Technology.
On March 9, Obara and Katabuchi visited the headquarter of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA), the organizer of the NIB, in K, D.C., to meet with NIA Executive Director Judy Greenwald and NIA Coordinator Devin Watts, to discuss the details of the NIB2023 - JAPAN.
On the same day, they met with Dr. Toru Nakatsuka, Director of the Washington Office of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to call for their cooperation with NIB2023.
(From left) Prof. Katabuchi, Ms. Judi Greenwald, Ms. Devin Watts, and Prof. Obara
(Form left) Prof. Obara, Dr. Nakatsuka, and Prof. Katabuchi
Chair Obara Visits 6 Universities for NICP in the US [November 6–20, 2022]
On November 6-20, 2022, Nuclear Innovator Cultivation Program (NICP) Chairman Obara visited six universities and asked them to continue the NICP collaboration in the next year. Each university has remained happy to accept doctoral students from Japan under the scheme of SANI (Studying Abroad for Nuclear Innovation).
Prof. Obara also met with students who will be attending the Nuclear Innovator Cultivation Camp (NICC) to be held at Tokyo Tech in January 2023. The students were very much looking forward to this camp, as this will be their first visit to Japan.
All of the universities seemed to be interested when Prof. Obara introduced "NIB2023 - Japan" (July 29-August 12, 2023), which will be held for the first time in Japan hosted by the Tokyo Tech NICP.
In cooperation with the Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA), this Bootcamp is operated to foster internationally capable individuals who can lead innovation in the nuclear field through participation in lectures that build an entrepreneurial spirit as well as group work centered on visits to Fukushima Daiichi and Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants with graduate students from around the world. The call for participants for NIB2023 - Japan will be open soon.
Texas A&M University
Prof. Kirkland (right) and Prof. Obara
Texas A&M University
Prof. Chirayath (right) and Prof. Obara
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dean Prof. Wilson (right) and Prof. Obara
University of Michigan
Prof. Sun (right) and Prof. Obara
North Carolina State University
Prof. Eapen (left), Mr. Aras (NICC2023 participant）and Prof. Obara
On the final day, the NIA announced that the NIB2023 will take place in Japan, hosted by the Tokyo Tech Nuclear Innovator Cultivation Program (NICP).
From the left: Associate Prof. Adrien Couet (UW-Madison), Prof. Obara (Tokyo Tech), Mr. River Benett (NIA), and Dr. Rachel Slaybaugh (DCVC)
In the state of a pitch
In the state of group work
Chair Obara Visits 6 Universities for NICP in the US [March 3 - 14, 2022]
March 3 - 14, 2022, Prof. Obara, Chair of the Nuclear Innovator Cultivation Program (NICP), visited 6 universities below to request their participation in the NICP.
Each university indicated a favorable impression of the program and its intention to let their faculty and students attend the Nuclear Innovator Cultivation Camp (NICC) held annually in Japan and accept doctoral students from Japan under the scheme of the Studying Abroad for Nuclear Innovation (SANI). For more details, please read the following.
North Carolina State University (NC State)
On March 4, Prof. Obara visited the Dept. of Nuclear Engineering to greet Dean Prof. Kostadin Ivanov, and then gave a briefing and exchanged views on the NICP with Prof. Jacob Eapen.
Dean Prof. Ivanov (left) and Prof. Obara
Prof. Eapen (right) and Prof. Obara
School Buildings of NC State
Burlington Nuclear Engineering Lab, NC State
University of Michigan (UMich)
On March 7, Prof. Obara met Dean Prof. Todd Allen and Prof. Gary Was at the Dept. of Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Sciences, UMich, and shared their thoughts on education and research activities engaged in Japan and the US.
Dean Prof. Allen (left) and Prof. Obara
Prof. Was (left) and Prof. Obara
School Buildings of UMich
Nuclear Engineering Laboratory, UMich
University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW–Madison)
On March 8, Prof. Obara held converse with Dean Prof. Paul Wilson at Dept. of Engineering Physics, UM-Madison, on the NICP, and then on Nuclear Innovation Bootcamp (NIB) and feasibility of Japan-chaired NIB 2023 with Associate Prof. Adrien Couet.
Next, Prof. Obara had sessions with Prof. Douglass Henderson, Assistant Prof. Benjamin Lindley, and Prof. Kumar Sridharan respectively, to hold exchanges of views on education and research activities engaged in Japan and the US, and concluded to give a speech on the NICP activity and decommissioning of Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Stations in a special seminar.
Dean Prof. Wilson (right) and Prof. Obara
Prof. Henderson (right) and Prof. Obara
Assistant Prof. Lindley (left) and Prof. Obara
Prof. Sridharan (right) and Prof. Obara
School Buildings of UW–Madison
Engineering Research Building, UW–Madison
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M)
On March 9, Prof. Obara had a meeting with Prof. Karen Kirkland, Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M.
Prof. Kirkland (right) and Prof. Obara
School Building of Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M
Academic Building, Texas A&M
Kyle Field, the American football stadium of Texas A&M
University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
He met with Prof. Jasmina Vujic, Director of Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC) on March 10. On the following day, he attended a colloquium to introduce the NICP and take part in a panel discussion . He also discussed education and research activities engaged in Japan and the US with Associate Prof. Massimiliano Fratoni and Raluca Scarlat.
While in Berkley, Prof. Obara made the newly launched “Tokyo Tech ANNEX Berkeley” his base, placed in JSPS San Francisco.
Prof. Vujic (right) and Prof. Obara
School Building of Engineering, UC Berkeley
School Buildings of UC Berkeley
Tokyo Tech ANNEX Berkeley
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
On March 14, Prof. Obara met with Prof. Jacopo Buongiorno, Director of the Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems (CANES), and with Managing Director Christine Pilcavage and Program Coordinator Isabelle Bitman, both of who are affiliated with MIT-Japan, MIT International Science & Technology Initiatives (MISTI), which is a liaison administration for MIT students and faculty with Japanese institutions.
Prof. Buongiorno (right) and Prof. Obara
Ms. Bitman (left), Ms. Pilcavage (right) and Prof. Obara
