JMI Students First Delegation To Visit Research Reactor at JUST

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25 Dec 2016
Amman, (Jordan Media Institute) -- MA students/comprehensive exam track at the Jordan Media Institute (JMI) visited the research nuclear reactor on the campus of the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) as part of the activities of the course titled Media and Topical Issues in Jordan and the Middle East.<br /> <br /> The students, who are the first delegation to visit the research reactor, listened to a briefing by Dr. Khaled Toukan, chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission, about the phases of establishing the reactor since 2010. The establishment lasted six years at a cost of $130 million. The reactor, which has an operational capacity of 5 megawatts, aims at training students of the Nuclear Engineering Department at JUST and building Jordan&#39;s scientific capacities.<br /> <br /> Dr. Toukan affirmed that in the construction of the reactor, the Commission adhered to the highest international standards for nuclear safety and security to meet the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The reactor is linked by surveillance cameras with the IAEA&#39;s operations coordination office in Geneva. In the event of any internal or external incident, God forbid, the reactor is designed to shut down all its programs. He said that the research reactor would start producing medical radioisotopes in February 2017.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> At the end of the meeting, a conversation was held, during which Dr. Toukan answered questions by students about the reactor. The students, who met with a number of Jordanian scientists working at the reactor, made a field tour of the building of the reactor and its divisions and learned about its operations.<br /> <br /> While doing a number of training journalism assignments, the students stressed the importance of this visit, during which they had a firsthand look at this historic accomplishment on the Arab level. The reactor will promote scientific and technical know-how in the Kingdom and usher in a new era for the generation of energy and solving its problem, which consumes almost half of the general budget.&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;