THE INTERNET REACTOR LABORATORY PROJECT: STATUS AND THE EXPERIENCE OF THE ISIS RESEARCH REACTOR

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) implements several international initiatives to support Member States in acquiring access to high quality nuclear education opportunities. Even though it does not replace the effectiveness of hands-on training, internet based training and education has become a cost-effective option for complimenting academic and vocational education. With this in mind, the IAEA has been working on the Internet Reactor Laboratory (IRL) project which aims at providing virtual access to research reactor experiments connecting, via the internet, an operating research reactor in a country (host reactor) with universities classes in other foreign countries (guest institutions). The aim of the IRL project, funded through extra budgetary contribution from the US Department of State (Peaceful Uses Initiative funds), is to increase the global supply of nuclear education based on the use of research reactors offering an additional option to access operating research reactors around the world.