With a project on reducing the area of a geological disposal site by introducing partitioning technologies, a first year doctoral student from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tomohiro Okamura, won the #SFM19 Young Generation Challenge, whose finalists were announced at the IAEA Conference on the Management of Spent Fuel from Nuclear Power Reactors in Vienna last week.
“My research objective was to create a sophisticated nuclear energy system by reducing the load of nuclear waste disposal,” Okamura said. “The project shows the effect of partitioning technologies on high burn-up fuel and high content vitrified waste. As a mechanical engineer and third generation Nagasaki bomb survivor, I have been captivated by the challenges posed by spent fuel and have attentively followed the work of the IAEA.”
The Young Generation Challenge, held in conjunction with the five-day Conference, was open to participants worldwide, with young professionals up to the age of 37 asked to promote discussion and awareness of the current and future impact of spent fuel management.
Four finalists – Balázs Ficker (Hungary), Jacob Home (United Kingdom), Andrey Kirkin (Russia) and Tomohiro Okamura (Japan) – who defined and developed the most innovative projects, were selected from among 35 applicants to present their papers. The finalists also co-chaired various conference sessions, helping the conference bridge the generation gap by integrating their perspectives.
