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ORAU Collaborating with UT, ANL to Offer Certificate Programs
Students test radiation detection equipment as part of ORAU’s Professional Training Programs’ five-week Applied Health Physics course—the first course needed to complete the Health Physics Certificate now being offered through a joint partnership between ORAU and the University of Tennessee.
Oak Ridge Associated Universities' (ORAU) Professional Training Programs (PTP) is partnering with the University of Tennessee and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to offer two certificate programs designed to formally document that an individual has received a baseline level of training in the subjects of health physics and nuclear decommissioning.
Both programs were created to offer professionals the opportunity to complete a series of intensive courses that would strengthen their current technical knowledge and skills. Minimum requirements for each program involve the completion of selected courses and electives—most of which are offered by ORAU.
While one professional has already completed the ORAU-ANL decommissioning certificate since it was launched earlier this year, the program has gained a lot of interest from the International Atomic Energy Agency’s International Decommissioning Network (IDN), said Sarah Roberts, associate director of ORAU’s Independent Environmental Assessment and Verification programs.
"Because nuclear decommissioning is becoming increasingly important in many countries throughout the world, we’ve heard from IDN participants interested in sending personnel through the decommissioning certificate program to learn the best way to complete the work safely," said Roberts.
Between the two programs, PTP hopes to award 10 certificates this year and double that number in 2010. If interest in the decommissioning certificate program is great enough, Roberts also said that PTP may offer some of the courses overseas.