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Description
The objective of this initiative is to establish a bilateral collaboration between the “Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD)” of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and the Department of Nuclear Chemistry of the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering (DNC) of the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU). The collaborative topic to be addressed by this initiative is “Improved skills and competences of students and academics in application AMS within radioecology” where AMS stands for the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. The main target group addressed by the project are Ph.D. and master students and teaching staff of both institutions. They will profit from the complementarity of knowledge, skills, aims and resources that has been the focal point around which this initiative has been built. In addition to NMBU and CTU students and teachers mentioned above, participation of additional students / (young) researchers from other Czech institutions in the course Prague is expected.
The activities include:
- hosting several CTU students at CERAD for short period to take part in the NMBU course called “Experimental radioecology",
- hosting several CERAD trainees in Prague to take part in a short-term training of the work in radiochemical laboratories,
- a visit of CTU teachers for a seminar at CERAD aimed at getting acquainted in more detail with the facilities available for the collaboration and at more detailed definition of the follow-up collaboration.
The main output of this bilateral initiative will be strengthening of the bilateral relations and improving the mutual understanding between CERAD and CTU in Prague. The main result on a short-term basis are students trained in skills not readily available at their home institutions.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to address mobility challenges faced by students and teachers between the Czech and Norwegian technical universities. These challenges included facilitating student exchanges for a short duration to attend a practical radiochemical course not offered at their home universities. Additionally, the project aimed to coordinate joint meetings between students and teachers, despite their fixed obligations.
The project’s main activity was the attendance of students at an online version of a laboratory exercise. Over two weeks, students attended lectures, passed several exercises and tests, and wrote a topical study related to their research. Despite the pandemic restrictions, the project managed to realize an online course on Radioecology.
While the planned student and teacher mobility was hindered by COVID-19 restrictions, the project still had positive outcomes. Three Ph.D. students participated in the online course, which included lectures and case studies. Despite the lack of hands-on training, students earned a total of 15 ECTS credits. Additionally, the project fostered closer collaboration and mutual discussion between project partners, laying the groundwork for future collaborative initiatives.
Summary of bilateral results
The donor project partner played a crucial role in providing resources and expertise that were not available at the home universities. This collaboration led to the planning of a long-term stay for one of the students related to environmental sampling and measurement.